John Ferguson (Finborough Theatre)

John Ferguson opens in an Ulster family's run-down farmhouse. The
set is dark and bare, with an unlit fireplace in the corner and an old
man sitting steadfast in his armchair.

The play, written by St John Irvine, was first performed in Dublin
during the First World War and now, nearly 100 years later, has made its way to the Finborough.

Irvine came from a Belfast protestant family and wrote about the lives
of poor and exploited people in rural Ireland. John Ferguson tells – with the odd flash of Irish humour – the
tragic story of the ruin of the family of the old and disabled John McPherson. The Irish father of two and his wife are hounded for the repayment of an extortionate mortgage and manipulated by an avaricious loan shark.

This is a tale of the destruction of a family in which no individual member is entirely to blame but for which all must share responsibility.

In the title role, Ciaran McIntyre shows us a man who is disabled not only physically but also mentally and emotionally by his determination to submit to every insult and injustice that is heaped upon him as "the will of God."

Veronica Quilligan gives a very convincing performance as the angry
but ultimately powerless mother who is unable to save either of her
children from ruin and frustrated by her husband’s inability to do
anything about it.

Paul Lloyd gives a chilling performance as the mean and vicious Henry
Witherow who first tries first to gain possession of the family’s
farm, and then forces his unwelcome attentions on their daughter
Hannah, sympathetically played by Zoe Rainey.

Director Emma Faulkner makes the best possible use of the
small performance space, setting the Fergusons’ kitchen table in the
middle of the stage. On either side of it the audience sit round like
houseguests watching other visitors arrive and the tragedy unfold.

The most intriguing character is the 'village idiot' Clutie played by
David Walshe. Appearing as a kind of knowing clown at first, as the play develops it
becomes clear he knows much more than the supposedly smarter characters
around him and is always the first to bring bad news.

The small and select cast of seven all give strong performances. Alan
Turkington as the family son Andrew shows
commanding stage presence that exudes an air of brooding menace.

This latest revival by the Finborough of an undeservedly forgotten classic
offers a rare opportunity to see a long-neglected masterpiece of Irish theatre;
a family tragedy of crippling debt and financial exploitation to which
modern times have given a new relevance and meaning.

John Ferguson continues at the Finborough until 14 June 2014