Perth Theatre
4 stars
It’s easy to mistake the first half hour of Conor McPherson’s 2006 West
End and Broadway hit for a hangover from the in-yer-face era. Once
McPherson’s metaphysical fascinations kick in, however, this furious
tale of five booze-sodden men holed up in an Irish cottage playing
poker on Christmas Eve becomes a matter of life and death.
Sharky has returned home to look after his blind brother, Richard,
who’s also tended to by his drinking buddy, Ivan. Sharky is off the
sauce and trying to put his life back together, but when local wide-boy
and Sharky’s nemesis Nicky turns up with a mysterious stranger called
Mr Lockhart in search of a game of cards, it’s as if all his demons
have come home to roost.
McPherson has crafted a meatily fantastical yarn which rips into macho
self-loathing, the psychologically addictive allure of gambling, and
how the long term consequences of every misguided action will always
get you in the end. It’s an astonishing piece of writing that fuses a
contemporary scenario with a dangerous supernatural edge that’s utterly
convincing.
For all the ferocity of Rachel O’Riordan’s co-production between Perth
and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, its subtle touches, like the way Sharky
touches the portrait of Christ every time he goes upstairs, shine
through. There’s a sense too of the blind leading the blind throughout
a set of mighty performances. Louis Dempsey’s Sharky, Tony Flynn as
Nicky, Ciaran McIntyre as Richard and Sean O’Callaghan as Ivan are all
terrific. Benny Young’s savagely looming presence as the diabolical Mr
Lockhart, meanwhile, is terrifying. The end may sentimentalise Sharky’s
second chance, but, until the next time, he’s a very lucky man indeed.
The Herald, February 11th 2013
ends
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