By Cal
Link: https://www.stream.theatre/season/101
Available until: 9th May on demand
The Weir is the latest in the series of plays made available on Stream Theatre by the Irish Repertory Company – and it’s another really great production. Conor McPherson isn’t as big a name as Samuel Beckett or Eugene O’Neill, but he’s still a great playwright and arguably a more accessible one.
Even if you do miss the deeper themes of The Weir (and I’m sure there are lots I’ve missed), I think the basic story, of sharing a few stories over more than a few pints; of trying to help a newcomer feel welcome; of trying to impress that newcomer if they happen to be our type, are situations most people can identify with.
The Weir begins like some of the best jokes – a man walks into a bar. This man is Jack, and he has a chat to the barman, Brendan. The talk turns to an apparently single woman who has moved to the area and the fact their mate Finbar has apparently already made his move. They’re joined in the bar by Jim, then Finbar arrives with the lady herself, Valerie.
The men are trying to impress Valerie with their spooky stories, but one thing that stands out is how kind and respectful they are. She’s not their usual type of drinking buddy. She’s younger than all of them apart from Brendan, who’s about her age. Although I don’t think she actually specifies her gender, there’s no reason to assume she’s hanging out with them because she identifies as a man. But the men go out of their way to make her feel welcome and part of the group – and that is really lovely.
They share some great stories. Really spooky. Although it’s probably completely unintentional, I do love the way they casually state that they have a mate called Declan Donnelly, and Valerie shows no signs of recognising the name. Claiming to be mates with a celebrity would impress a lot of people! But I think it’s some other guy who happens to have the same name. Jack tells a story about someone who used to drink in the pub who’s a bit of a character. Finbar tells a story about a Ouija board, only he doesn’t get the name quite right. Jim relates a strange experience he had when he had a high temperature.
Then Valerie shares a story which changes the mood completely.
The basic idea of the play is quite simple, but it’s such a wonderful observation of what people are like, and that good people can make good stories. None of this constant backstabbing and cheating you get in the soaps. Just bad and sometimes sad things happening to good people, and underneath it all, Ciarán O’Reilly's production has a sort of warmth and a sense of community, which I expect a lot of people miss right now.
I’m not completely sure how this production was filmed. At a guess, it was like the other plays: filmed in the actors’ homes and then superimposed onto Charlie Corcoran’s set and edited together by Sarah Nichols. However they did it, it worked. It feels like they’re in the same place and that they’re interacting with each other. It’s a good play to do in lockdown because it’s not one that obviously suggests physical contact.
If there is a weakness in the play, it’s that the men are all quite similar and that most of their lines could easily be interchanged, but Dan Butler (Jack), Sean Gormley (Finbar), John Keating (Jim) and Tim Ruddy (Brendan) make a likeable group and they all have moments when their kindness really forcibly strikes you, without actually being sentimental at any point. I did have my doubts about Jim, but then he did the loveliest speech to Valerie at the end. Amanda Quaid’s Valerie proves it is possible to have a drink with a group of men without being a flirt. (Not that there’s anything wrong with being a flirt.) She definitely holds her own.
The Weir is a really interesting play which deserves
to be much better-known.
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