Dublin born ‘Seán Ó Cathasaigh’ lost his father at the age of six, and being one of thirteen children; he had to leave school at fourteen to work on the Irish Great Northern Railway, then for a newspaper distribution business.

This highly controversial, but topical play (being the centennial of the Rising), has been decried both by the politicians and the church, however, it is still considered one of the best Irish plays ever written.

‘The Starry Plough’ – (Camchéachta) was the flag carried by the Irish Citizen Army. This wonderful play is being proudly presented by the Irish Theatre Players and can be seen at the Irish Club WA, 61 Townshend Road in Subiaco.

The superlative set (designed by Noel O’Neill) utilises the whole theatre, this really takes the audience into the blood and guts of the situation.

The setting is a Dublin tenement, with the stage being the downstairs flat in Act 1 (November 1915) and an upstairs flat in Act 4 (Easter 1916). The flats are the homes of blue-collar workers. The walls are damp, there are settling cracks appearing and the plaster is crumbling.

The proscenium arch is the brickwork of the outside of the house with a front door and upstairs window. The pavements lead down the aisles. To the side of the stage is a rustic bar. A huge amount of work in construction by Noel, Rory Buckley, Aidan Murphy and Paddy Ryan, but it certainly allowed you to feel the depth of poverty and misery. The stage management smoothly carried out by Ruhama Geiger.

     As the racy calendar shows, it is November 1915 in the Clitheroe home. Newly married, and with stars in their eyes, Jack (Brian Donohoe) and Nora (Sandi Buckley) are settling down to their evening meal. Misery-guts, Uncle Peter (Joe Purcell) is drying his underwear and shirt in front of the open fire. Whilst an old family friend, Fluther (Stanley O’Neill) is repairing the front door, Nora’s cousin, Young Covey (Rory Buckley) arrives. Covey, who is very well read in British history and army tactics, is itching for an uprising and independence.

     Widowed mother, Mrs Grogan (Siobhán Wright), who – due to stress and poverty – is looking older than her years, has two children; a sickly teenager, Mollser (Katie Toner), and a babe in arms. In the local ale house, alcoholic Bessie (Charlotte Weber), the ‘Orange bitch’ living upstairs, accuses Mrs G. of being a loose woman, and has to be separated by the bartender (John Flood), whilst the real floosy, Rosie Redmond (Michelle Delaney) looks on.

     Easter arrives along with the British troops. Captain Brennan (Brian O’Donovan), Sergeant Tinley (Aidan Murphy) and Corporal Stoddart (Adrian Mills) show that there are different types of soldiers, with very different attitudes to the Irish.

Under the supervision of multi-award winning playwright and director, Hellie Turner, aided by her talented assistant director, Mary Murphy, every aspect of the production was first class. The set decor was outstanding; the lighting design was complex and impressive (designed and operated by John Spurling and his advisor, John Woolrych). Chris Rowe’s soundscape was an intricate blend of music, background atmosphere – such as the shipyard sounds – and numerous split-second, perfectly cued sound effects.

The costumes for the era (Liz Quigley) were well researched and beautifully produced, ranging from Mollser’s cheap nightdress to the simple clothes of the day worn by the majority of the cast. The eye for detail was noticeable. WA Academy’s makeup artists along with the Valona hair specialists created the tired and elderly looks demanded by the parts. An amazing team of techs and artistic talent presented clearly in Sarah Hession’s professionally designed programme.

A powerful talented cast, but special mention must be made of Charlotte Weber and Siobhán Wright; both actors giving real depth to their parts and bringing a tear.

The Irish Theatre players are renowned for their warm welcome and high quality dramas, but this play is one of their best productions in years.

Last night was a charity event when all of the ticket profit and raffle money went to a family, sadly experiencing troubles through no fault of their own. A most generous action.

Often ‘One Act’ shows are an excuse for theatre groups to water down the standards. The scripts can be thin and amateurish, the acting ‘barely satisfactory’ and the whole set lit by a single white flood. So it was a pleasant surprise to experience three beautifully written plays, with very different themes, being presented with full professionalism.

The directors are all competent actors, but for Caroline this was her first venture into directing alone. The whole trio showed a huge amount of skill and technique.

For each play, the stage is surrounded by black drapes, so the atmosphere and location relies upon the well-chosen props.

The lighting and sound design is by Phyllis Graham who has provided some most realistic dramatic effects for the wartime play. In the same play, Liz Quigley has provided authentic uniforms and dresses of the First World War era. Great work.

‘Voices in the Rubble’ is a fast-moving, absurdist comedy written by Irish playwright and poet, Darren Donohue, and directed by Lisa Reilly (45 minutes).

After he was invited onto the ‘New Playwrights’ Programme’ at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 2010, Darren has been shortlisted for a Hennessy Literary Award three years out of the last four.

The scene is the sitting room of an average house.

     When 30 yrs. old Tony (Adrian Mills) comes home from a hard day at the office, his loving wife, Avril (Mary Murphy) enquires what kind of day he has had; he casually replies that he has ‘screwed’ the secretary. Totally unfazed, Avril, who is seemingly without any morals or conscience, goes on to describe her strange day and how she killed the milkman – or was it the postman?

     As the evening goes by, Avril become aroused by the details of Tony’s midday fun and the couple start to plan a wild romp of a holiday in Europe; however, the loving couple are interrupted by a half-dressed young man, George (Bobby Greaney) – Avril’s toy boy? Then who is the elderly man (Brian O’Donovan) in the flat, who seems to be paying more than a passing interest in Avril.

This is a very funny play. In the beginning you find yourself wondering where this tale is going and just as you think you know, the whole thing swings around and leaves you gasping and grinning as the couple lead their daring, private lives. Well-developed characters with very funny ‘muted’ delivery. Top-notch acting.

‘Over the Top’ highlights the harsh reality of war. It was written by Irish playwright, Rodney Quinn and directed by Katie Galvin (40 minutes).

This play is an extended version of Quinn’s 2005 play. This full version was first performed two years ago in south London.

The scene is a Great War battlefield trench in 1918; but this situation is relevant to any country’s troupes, in any war, at any time.

        Two, twenty-year-old soldiers are sitting in a damp trench waiting for their breakfast to be delivered. Jack (Brian Donohue) who is missing his beloved Maggie (Lisa Whelan) back home in Eire, is wondering why he is fighting for the English. Tommy (Blake Prosser) with his crisp upper-class English accent is determined to make a name for himself as a hero. Sergeant Jones (Liam McDonald), a loud bully, who has become tired of the endless war, breaks the peace. He is delivering two new recruits, both barely 16 yrs. old. ‘Witter’ (Oliver Kaiser) has joined because he does not want to be seen as a coward in the eyes of his girlfriend, Mary (Sofie Riedy-Crofts) or her mother (Charlotte Weber). Young Billy (Matthew Brennan) has left a broken-hearted mother (Jo Hennessey) behind.

     Will any of them see home again?

This is a beautifully constructed script, as it passes back and forward from the trench misery to the warmth of home. The poignant situation highlights the cruelty of war, and the dirty tricks used to get volunteers to fight for the lost cause.

Katie Galvin’s direction is a perfect balance, being powerful and yet not over sentimental. The cast, with the brutal sergeant and the weak helpless youngsters, brought convincing reality to the situation. Even the short cameos by the women ‘back home’ gave depth to the cruelty and the heartbreak war causes. The interaction of the cast was convincing and horrific, with each actor knowing exactly what was expected of them. A wonderfully moving play.

‘W.A.G.’ was written by multi-award winning playwright, Gemma Doorly and directed by Caroline McDonnell. (50 minutes).

Gemma was nominated for an IFTA ‘Best Actress Award’, however, Dooley is probably best known in Ireland for her 10 years in the soap ‘Fair City’.

The scene is an upper-class home, with comfortable furnishings.

        A smart but jaded, middle-aged woman (Rachel Bartlett) pours herself another vodka. The doorbell rings and in comes a smartly dressed woman (Chantelle Bertino-Clarke) about twenty years younger. The older woman thanks the girl for coming to have a chat – a chat about her husband’s infidelity!

     The girlfriend is an airline pilot who has made love to the husband in most cities in Europe. Naturally, the long-suffering wife has numerous questions to ask, and even more comments to this ‘slut’ who has pinched her husband.

     As the belligerent conversation progresses, and with a few more vodkas consumed, the wife mellows. Faced with four alternative actions, which compromise will be found for the two relationships?

For those that lead an innocent life, WAG means ‘wives and girlfriends’.

This play demanded subtlety in the facial expressions, body language and voice tone, with excellent guidance from the director and perfect chemistry between the two ‘lovers’ the result was outstanding. The actors were like tennis players, passing the ball back and forward, sometimes softly and then occasionally giving a good belt to rock the boat. Superb timing.

The good solid cheer at the end of the play showed how successful this wonderful play was. Many congrats.

This set of three plays is well worth going out on a cold night to see, probably the best trio that I have seen in some time. Try to catch them.

The theatre’s new committee have literally, laid down the red carpet to lead you into a plush, casino-like environment. Their aim is to raise enough money to replace their old element lamps with LEDs, and to renew the sound system.

The scene is the sitting room of a 1960s house in the East End of London. A very good set, with all of the trimmings and furniture of the era (artistic director Mary Murphy).

Around the dining room table, a group of men are playing cards. They are Bert, the overbearing house owner (Kim Taylor – magnificent), his simple son Harold, who hasn’t two brain cells to rub together (Cameron Leese) and Bert’s best friend, quiet Eddie (Noel O’Neill) who has just been released from prison. The group are gambling with peanuts for money, but Harold keeps eating the winnings.       

Next to the fire, reading the paper is Bert’s other son, the lazy good-for-nothing, Alan (David Buckley); in the opposite corner sits suave young Billy, a criminal in the making (Emilio Evans). This gang have decided to raise cash for a trip to America, and think that voluptuous Susan (Clare Mulchinock), who has a wealthy husband, may be the answer to their prayers.

The experienced director, Noel O’Neill and his most capable assistant, Caroline O’Donnell, have amazingly turned, what could easily have been a static sitcom, into an action-filled romp. The characters were perfectly believable; in fact, we have all met, or ‘know’, most of the individuals. The cleverly written dialogue was unique to each personality, with some very funny one-liners. Half the cast were relatively newcomers, but they were not distracted by having to speak with Cockney accents – all VERY accurate – and yet they still managed to keep up with the rapid pace.

Booking is essential, and The Irish Players have linked on to the ‘www.trybooking’ system, so that you will know in advance the number of seats still available. An excellent cast, working perfectly in tune with each other, generating a wonderful evening of chuckles. Highly recommended.