A Night in November

Synopsis

Northern Irish play written in 1995. A Night in November, is a hard and humorous look at the Protestant tradition in Northern Ireland. Kenneth McCallister is a dole clerk who tolerates his marriage, his in-laws and Ulster until, one fateful night in November, as the Republic of Ireland qualifies against Northern Ireland for the World Cup, he finds himself watching not the match, but the sectarian hatred of the crowd. A Night in November follows Kenneth on his rebellious journey as he travels to New York to join the supporters of the Republic's soccer team. Not a play about football but about a man who suddenly realises that he can have a hand in his own destiny.

Our Review:

23 October 2007

The night in November in A Night in November by Marie Jones at the Trafalgar Studios is the one in 1993 when Northern Ireland faced the Republic in a World Cup qualifying soccer game at Windsor Park, Belfast, and the result was a draw. The bigger, result, though, was a qualification from their group for the Republic to go to the finals in America, where the team won a famous victory against Italy before succumbing to the inevitable.

This is the background to the story of Kenneth McCallister, an East Belfast Protestant and wimpish dole clerk who reconsiders his life and allegiances on the terraces, cheering Jack Charlton’s team of “mercenary Irishmen” then finding himself transported to a state of glowing, non-partisan national pride in New York on the same summer night that, back home, six Catholics are massacred in O’Toole’s bar in Loughinisland.

As a dramatic monologue, the piece has its creaky and implausible m...

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Latest User Review

Nick - 7 November 2007:

An eye opening play that portrays a complex conflict in clear and riveting fashion. The acting performance is of the highest order and requires an energetic and charismatic Patrick Kielty to perform drama, comedy as well as numerous different accents and characters. ...

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