Thinking about the relationships Druid has forged with playwrights since its inception in 1975, two names immediately spring to mind: Tom Murphy and Martin McDonagh. The former, regarded as one of the most important Irish writers of the twentieth century. The latter, probably the most commercially successful living playwright in the Western world.
And if you ponder who benefited most from these relationships, it becomes a chicken-and-egg type of debate.
True, Druid’s rise to prominence may at least partially be attributed to the various Murphy and McDonagh plays it has produced through the years. Yet, had Druid not premiered some of Murphy’s later plays, would they have become part of the canon? Had Garry Hynes not picked up that copy of The Beauty Queen of Leenane and rolled the dice on an unknown playwright, might McDonagh have gone undiscovered? It is a curious prospect; one which demonstrates just how thin the line between success and failure can be in the arts.
Druid’s latest production of The House demonstrates its loyalty to Murphy, showing a willingness to keep his work alive by introducing it to a new audience; a new generation. The play tells the story of a family, led by the wonderful Marie Mullen, which is selling its house due to mounting financial pressures. Marty Rea plays a local young lad, part of the Irish diaspora in England, who is interested in buying the property, although doubt shrouds the means by which he has come to attain funds.
Back in Ireland for a brief sojourn, one which he and his friends make every year, it is not long before the protagonist becomes entangled with numerous local women, and the Law. Strangely, The Playboy of the Western World entered my head. It might be no coincidence that the character’s name is ‘Christy’, as he shares a few of the less-endearing traits of Synge’s infamous Christy Mahon. In all, he is far from likeable: displaying a deviousness and unpredictability that unnerves the audience, letting us know that something is slightly off. Rea gives a fantastic performance, portraying the character as deeply conflicted, doing everything he can to make us feel something for Christy, showing us why he is one of the best in the business.
This is a sad, heavy, angry sort of a play; one which would have been unbearably grim, were it not for the performances of Donncha O’Dea as the barman, and Darragh Feehely as the solicitor. O’Dea and Feehely provide the comic and positive energy to counteract the darkness, delivering some much needed levity at just the right moments. In fact, I found the first scene after the interval to be the most powerful. Only Feehely and Rea are on stage, engaging in a conversation which is both funny and distressing in equal measure. This is the first hint we get that something really bad has happened. A great example of stellar acting.
In all, this is a wonderful opportunity for Galway people to see the work of Galway’s most famous writer.
The House runs at The Town Hall Theatre, Galway, until this Saturday, September 21, then at The Gaiety, Dublin, until October 6.
