Review: Nomad production of Stones in His Pockets 'brilliantly executed' in three Northumberland venues
Stones in His Pockets is a two hander written by Northern Irish playwright Marie Jones, first performed in 1996 by the Dubbeljoint Theatre Company in Belfast.
Audiences in Alnwick, Embleton and Warkworth audiences were recently treated to another skilful Nomad production of this play, and an ambitious one at that.
I was watching the performance at the Alnwick Playhouse Studio, a small and comfortable performance space, ideally suited to this minimal, intimate and complex storytelling.
Two men, Charlie Conlon (played by Claire Barber) and Jake Quinn (played by Keith Shotton) meet on the movie set for a big Hollywood picture in the rural setting of County Kerry, Ireland. They are paid extras on the filming of a romantic epic which disrupts local life with its crew’s demands.
Charlie and Jake are our main protagonists, and Barber and Shotton also capably depict the remaining 13 characters, (yes, 13!) They adroitly transform their voices, accents, stances, attitudes, with the swish of a scarf, the donning of a hat, a twirl or a swivel and with minimal props to distinguish characters.
This is stagecraft laid bare; a green backlight lending the subtle suggestion of the Emerald Isle, a couple of wooden chairs and a road case on casters transitions from bar to Winnebago, to wake. But that’s pretty much it.
The bravery of these performances handed us a masterclass in versatility, technical skill, physicality and comedic timing, conveying a complex range of personalities, scenes and characters, from exuberant locals to arrogant Hollywood celebrities. The switch between accents and dialogue was astonishing - which further served to emphasise the cleverness of this performance, the resourcefulness and talent employed in place of elaborate production values.
Aside from our ‘underdogs’ Charlie and Jake, standout character favourites for me were the ‘oily’ Simon, assistant director played by Barber, so confidently lampooning the American film industry’s disdain for the locals. Also, the obsequious Aisling, played by Shotton, instantly delivering a discordant cheerleading aesthetic with the mere flick of scarf and hand gesture.
The trust and interplay between these two is fascinating to watch as they seamlessly transition between characters and scenes, pulling us all along with them and ensuring we are enthralled with this tragicomedy.
Cleverly directed by Jan Turner, each moment and shift of character and setting is finely choreographed. The storyline flows rapidly, we barely draw breath, so eager we are to catch every nuanced push, pivot, phrase. Believe me when I say that you could have heard a pin drop, so focussed on the performance were we.
I certainly laughed out loud at many scenes and lines, including the two-‘man’ mini production of Riverdance. But it’s also a serious look at what is happening in the world, how rural life is perceived, globalisation’s impact on small communities, and how people are treated.
This is a well written script with a poignant story, with great humour, and the actors show exceptional skills as they pull us through this story. It was brilliantly executed.