The Lieutenant Of Inishmore

This is a synopsis of the play I ‘borrowed with pride’ from the internet as I couldn’t have described it better. The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a dark comedy play by Martin McDonagh. Set in 1993 on the island of Inishmore, County Galway, it follows Padraic, a violent and unpredictable member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), who returns home after hearing that his beloved cat, Wee Thomas, has been killed. His obsession with the cat leads to a chaotic and bloody series of events, including revenge killings and mistaken identities. The play is known for its brutal humour, absurd violence, and satirical take on Irish nationalism. I needed to check that I had the correct interpretation of the content so as not to confuse myself. There was a lot going on in this production… Just an observation about background music and sound effects. If you don’t mind that the audience can’t hear what is going on, on the stage, that’s fine but it can be distracting.

The use of Irish accents was valiantly undertaken by the entire cast but unfortunately at my advanced age didn’t always travel well and I lost some of the content. This however, didn’t detract from the substance of the play. I am not sure if the bias on humour was intended as it was pretty shocking in places but the cast reminded me of a combination of Father Ted and the Derry Girls. The gait and posture of some of the actors was comical rather than threatening, which if intended, worked well.

Catherine Crosswell played Darcy as opposed to the original Davey and did a grand job. Her one liner’s were particularly well delivered and added the much-needed humour in the more gruesome parts. Her interaction with Trevor Young as Donny was easy to watch and although their dialogue dipped sporadically, they worked well together. Trevor as Donny was a misnomer as a father to the maniacal Padraic who wanted to keep on the right side of his son, more out of fear than love.

Jonny Stephens was the inimitable Padraic and really reminded me of Ardal O'Hanlon and therefore made his character less intimidating. It was a complex character to portray and Jonny did very well. His scenes with the dead cat would have been even more moving if it hadn’t been so bizarre.

Another complex role was mastered by Poppy Savage as Mairead who shone out in this dark production. Mairead’s character gave a very insightful glimpse into the para-military fanaticism that runs deep in the Irish community.  Her longing to be part of the militia ultimately outweighing her love of Padraic. Poppy has a lovely voice too.

Ryan Eames undertook a dual role as James the captured and tortured Drug dealer and the contradictory Brendan a member of the slinter group INLA. He portrayed them so differently that I had to double check that it really was him. Very well done.

Conor Stobbart and Will Raggart playing Christy and Joey respectively and completed the nutty INLA fraction that were out to take out Padraic for wanting to start another breakaway fraction! Conor, Will and Ryan were well balanced and performed well together. I did have to smile at the fluorescent hat worn by Will that glowed in the dark and which was an antithesis to anything worn by the militia.  

Congratulations to all concerned in producing this extraordinary story.

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