REVIEW Stones in his Pockets at The Barn Theatre, Cirencester
Stones in his Pockets
is a Built By Barn Production
in association with Wiltshire Creative and Octagon Theatre Bolton
Written by Marie Jones
Directed by Matthew McElhinney
The Barn Theatre, Cirencester
Tuesday 27 August 2024
Rating: ★★★★★
Book tickets to Stones in his Pockets here>
While working as extras on a ludicrously romanticised “Oirish” movie, Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn discover the true hierarchy of the film set: movie stars are gods; caterers are demi-gods; and extras are cattle. Like the cows in the surrounding fields of County Kerry, Charlie, Jake and their fellow ‘background artistes’ are rounded up by drovers and herded hither and yon. That is, until a suicide (Virginia Woolf-style, hence the play’s title) interrupts filming and reveals some disturbing truths. This impels Charlie and Jake to reclaim their humble story, plus their dignity, from the Hollywood big-shots.
Winner of the 2001 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Marie Jones’s tragicomedy is a grimly joyous mixture of laughter and tears, like an old man’s Guinness. It is tender but exuberant, poignant but raucous, and is punctuated with foot-stomping, hand-clapping, whooping-and-hollering jigs. This outstanding production is directed with gusto by the playwright’s son, Matthew McElhinney. If Matthew’s mum is anything like mine, she will have been looking over his shoulder during rehearsals, muttering, “You’re not going to do it like that, are you?”
Stones in his Pockets at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester until 14 September
The two protagonists, Charlie and Jake, are played with tremendous verve, brio, vivacity and aplomb by Northern Irish actors Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney. I had initially marvelled at the performers’ easy rapport and relaxed playfulness, assuming they had only rehearsed together for a few weeks. Then I discovered they were reprising their roles from the 2021–2022 production, which originated at the Barn Theatre before transferring to the Lyric, Belfast. As Shaun Blaney comments in the programme notes, “[O]ur grasp of the play, the characters, the humour and the tragedy is now more assured than ever. I’m fairly sure we could do it in our sleep.” Given that the actors have lived with the play for so long, it is a credit to them and the production team that their performances felt so fresh and vibrant.
McCabe and Blaney play a total of 15 roles between them, male and female, with minimal costume changes. Sometimes, a switch of character is indicated by the mere twist of a cap: peak sideways denoting 3rd assistant director Aisling; peak backwards denoting 1st assistant director Simon. Or, with the seductive slipping of a jacket from a shoulder, we’re in the presence of Hollywood diva Caroline Giovanni (played by McCabe as a smouldering synthesis of Gloria Swanson and Jessica Rabbit). Ingeniously, a thin neckerchief becomes a walking stick whenever Blaney plays Mickey Riordan – allegedly, the oldest extra in County Kerry – who claims to have worked alongside John Wayne on “The Quiet Man”. It is no coincidence that the Hollywood movie in “Stones in His Pockets” is titled “The Quiet Valley”.
Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney star in Stones in his Pockets at The Barn Theatre, Cirencester
The bravura performances are augmented by experience-enhancing audio-visual elements that (among other things) bring the movies-within-the-play onto the stage. Hats off to AV designers Benjamin Collins and Alex Tabrizi for creating a truly immersive multimedia experience. Their final sequence – the closing credits for one of the movies – capped an extraordinary evening with a number of delightful surprises – sorry, no spoilers – bringing the audience to its feet in a well-deserved standing ovation.
POST SCRIPT:
Like Charlie and Jake, your reviewer once experienced the indignity of being a movie extra. Over forty years ago, I was in the film adaptation of Julian Mitchell’s stage play “Another Country”, starring Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. Despite being 20 years old and having a permanent five o’clock shadow, a broken nose and an incipient paunch, I was cast as a teenage schoolboy. In one scene, set in a shower room, I had to scuttle past the camera wearing only a small towel. After two takes, the 1st assistant director told me that the director, Marek Kanievska, wanted a word. I was thrilled. Marek had never spoken to me before. Perhaps he’d spotted my talent and wanted to promote me to a more substantial speaking role – maybe Colin Firth’s best friend?!
I went over.
“Marek?”
“Ah, Paul. Yes.”
He paused for a moment, then said:
“Can you tuck your tummy in?”
Stones in his Pockets gets a 5 Star review from Explore Gloucestershire
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
Stones In His Pockets runs at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester, until Saturday 14 September 2024.
Reviewer: © Paul Sharples
Explore Gloucestershire
29 August 2024
Photo credit: Alex Tabrizi
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