The Lyric showcased the new play by Belfast-born Owen McCafferty. The plot centres around two aging Belfast men : Gerry (played by Karl Johnson) and Iggy (Ian McElhinney). Conversing in a London hostel, these characters revisit important memories that have brought them to their current state. McCafferty’s indigenous knowledge of Northern Irish culture and mindsets has resulted in a comical, moving and daring work that remains long in the memory.

BY ANNA CLARE MARSHALL

With a minimalist set McCafferty’s play draws it strength from its astute use of language. This production boasted terrific central performers who were consistently believable. Although McElhinney is a native of Belfast, Johnson, is a British character actor. Nevertheless, his Belfast accent was unusually convincing. Unfortunately, the Lyric theatre’s temporary position at the Elmwood Hall proved a disadvantage. The building’s acoustics are poor and the thick accents were sometimes difficult to hear in balcony seating. Nevertheless, both actors were resolutely adept at conveying McCafferty’s clever use of tragicomic tone. The central concept of the work is a difficult but fascinating one. It is a play about two characters who were ‘taught not to talk’, a point pushed as the motto for Belfast society itself. Therefore, the poignancy arrived from the characters’ awkward attempts to express themselves. The actors encouraged much laughter from the audience with their characteristic use of banter. For this, McCafferty demonstrates a mastery of familiar dialect and forms of jest. However, this surface fun was constantly masking a darker, melancholic sub-text. The moments of actual flash-back to the character’s youths gave the present-time scenes a heart-breaking sense of missed opportunities. One criticism that could possibly be made is that McCafferty’s play is too realistic and therefore too insular in its audience appeal. The play would undoubtedly be popular with a local audience, but the use of language may be harder for a wider audience to follow. However, it is more important that in retaining this level of honesty in the language, McCafferty’s play is a welcome departure from romanticized views of Ireland seen in so much of its theatre and literature. By creating characters who speak and fail to speak about the more negative aspects of a masculine culture, McCafferty’s vision is brave and thought-provoking.