Review – Stones In His Pockets
Date Reviewed: 10th April, 2009
Venue: The Lowry
Stones In His Pockets premiered in 1998 and during the past eleven years has gone on to win countless awards and acclaim both in the West End and on Broadway as well as its native Ireland. It’s still a crowd puller as shown by the full Quays Theatre at the Lowry and is continuing its current extensive tour into the summer.
Set in a rural Irish village that has regularly been used as a location for Hollywood films Stones plays out through the filming of one such film called The Quiet Valley. Concentrating on the developing friendship between two extras Charlie Conlon (David Caves) and Jake Quinn (Jack Reynolds) the play is a quirky and sometimes thought provoking look at dreams and disillusionment.
Marie Jones’ script is a clever mix of comedy, poignancy and at times raw honesty but there are occasions where it feels laboured and missing direction. However, Marie scores success in giving the two lead characters real depth which is successfully portrayed by both talented actors.
Caves gives Charlie a superb cocky edge and is compelling when Charlie’s vulnerability is unmasked. Likewise, Reynolds plays dispirited Quinn with both pathos and integrity ultimately proving that of the two characters Quinn is the emotionally stronger of the two.
The hard working pair are also responsible for playing every other character (male and female) in the play and through this they show true versatility. Caves clearly delights in playing flighty and arrogant film star Caroline Giovanni and also her security man Jock Campbell. Reynolds is hilariously camp as production assistant Aisling and heartbreaking as Sean Harking, a local, who poignantly provides the backbone to act 2.
Whilst the cast effortlessly flit between characters it would have been beneficial to have seen a greater variation in costume to help with the differentiation between each character.
Designer Jack Kirwan keeps things very simple with one basic back drop and two movable boxes which, I am sure aids for simplicity of transporting the set between venues, but also works nicely as it leaves much up to the imagination and ensures that there is little distraction from the actors. Much emphasis is placed on the lighting design by Tim Mascall to differentiate between locations and this works nicely.
David Bownes’ direction is pretty solid and for the most part the action is kept moving along at a good speed. There are a few moments, however, where the play drags a little but these moments are few and things tend quicken up reasonably speedily.
All in all, Stones In His Pockets is a worthy, yet flawed production which although makes for an enjoyable evening out, it never climbs to the great heights that its glowing reputation suggests.
-Malcolm Wallace