Darlington Hippodrome – until 20 July 2019
5*****
Stones in his Pocket, this wonderful little gem of a show, arrives in to Darlington as part of it current tour – and what a treat the audiences are in for
When a touch of glamour lands in a quiet village, the impact on the local community can be enormous. Stones in his Pockets tells such a story. The central premise is fairly simple, as a Hollywood film crew descend on a remote, sleepy village in Ireland, and engage many of the local people as extras, setting in motion a chain of events that leads to tragedy. All is not doom and gloom, however. being very funny, and at the same time very poignant.
Marie Jones’ award winning play is about the stars, the villagers, the extras and the production team shooting The Quiet Valley in County Kerry. There’s Aisling, Assistant Director, and Simon her superior, John the weary dialogue coach, Jock from security, Caroline Giovanni the glamorous leading lady, Clem, the English director and Wee Mickey, who is the only surviving extra from The Quiet Man. Not to mention Charlie and Jake, our two extras, each with disappointments in his past and dreams for his future. Charlie, an outsider from the village has written a screenplay after his DVD rental outlet ironically went under. Jake, a likeable local lad, is just back from the States after getting homesick.
All of the characters are played by two incredibly talented actors, Owen Sharpe and Kevin Trainor, who effortlessly slip into the voice and the physique of a dozen or more cherishable characters and sketching scores of memorable scenes: coffee in Caroline’s trailer, the “destitution” mime, the poignant flashback to Sean and Finn’s childhood friendship, before drugs and life push Sean to take his own life by drowning with stones in his pockets
The only props are a box and two stools, so the illusion is maintained by the skill of the two actors and some clever dialogue, against a backdrop of the impressive but simple set by Peter McKintosh and Lindsay Posner’s excellent direction
Though there are darker themes, what we always take away is the tour-de-force that brings all these characters to life – Simon becomes the seductive, needy Caroline, Finn becomes the kindly old teacher, Brother Gerard. And they all appear at once in the Flatley inspired finale – this Irish jig is sheer brilliance
Stone in His Pockets allows its audience to enter the world of its characters providing an entertaining, amusing and thought-provoking evening. Despite the tragedy and undercurrent of exploitation that run through the piece, we are left with a feeling of hope that for some people at least, their experiences on film have awakened a sense of determination and self-belief. A complete joy throughout