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Synopsis The hilarious, painful and shocking story of Northern Ireland's infamous prison--Long Kesh--told through the eyes of Prison Officers, Republicans and Loyalists, a rich assortment of patriots, chancers, leaders, wives, escapers and hypochondriacs! A huge crowd-pleaser, full of 1960’s Mo-Town songs and wild, irreverent humour, this is the inside story of The Troubles. Chronicles of Long Kesh premiered in Belfast in January 2009 and played to more than 9,000 people during its sold-out run with standing ovations every single night! Don't miss the show Irish audiences are raving about! Suitable for over 16s only.
Chronicles of Long Kesh opened to critics at the Tricycle Theatre last week (16 March 2010), following a sell-out tour of Ireland and an acclaimed run at last year's Edinburgh Festival.
Whilst dealing with all the major events at the prison such as the 1974 burning of the camp, the Dirty Protest, The Hunger Strike and The Great Escape, the play also explores individual experiences of the inmates at the Long Kesh prison, better known as The Maze.
Written by Martin Lynch, who interviewed over 40 ex-prisoners, officers, welfare workers and family members, Chronicles of Long Kesh was first seen on a sell out tour around Ireland before its hit run at this year's Edinburgh Festival. Directed by Lynch and Lisa May, the cast includes Billy Clarke, Chris Corrigan, Jo Donnelly, Marty Maguire, Andy Moore and Marc O'Shea.
Giles Cole on Whatsonstage.com (four stars) – “A helter-skelter production reminiscent in style of the mould-breaking Oh! What A Lovely War … Scenes blend seamlessly into each other as the years pass and the performers break into perfectly harmonised a cappella versions of Smokey Robinson hits, which serve as commentary on the action. The show is at once joyous, scary, comical, vicious and poignant. It’s not often that one can apply such a medley of adjectives to the same play and have them all carry equal weight … This is not an evening for moral debate about cold-blooded killing, but it is powerful theatre, containing a multiplicity of finely-drilled performances … The show is directed by the writer and Lisa May with tremendous pace, gusto and conviction. Even if your political views are way out of line with those under examination here, this is an ensemble performance to savour.”
Lyn Gardner in the Guardian (three stars) – “Who would have thought you could make vivid musical theatre by blending Motown hits with the dirty protests and hunger strikes that took place in Long Kesh (now the Maze) prison in Northern Ireland during the Troubles? Surprisingly, Martin Lynch's account of inside life really works, even if the political complexities go largely unexplained. This is an evening that is never complicated when it can be popular, one short on real history and long on personal experience. But against all odds, its simple staging and terrific performances blend with an acute understanding of the human cost of armed struggle to make an unexpectedly enjoyable and affecting night out. You could accuse the show of a sneaking sentimentality, but it never glamorises these men while celebrating the extraordinary human ability to normalise any situation.”
Fiona Mountford in the Evening Standard (four stars) – “An important drama, impeccably presented … a high-energy account, using a six-strong ensemble … A terrific work by writer/director Martin Lynch … It’s vital that we, in this part of the UK, never forget the recent history of another part that can seem distant in so many ways.”
Benedict Nightingale in The Times (three stars) – “Does he acknowledge that some of his characters were responsible for horrific deeds? Not sufficiently. Does he give his Protestant prisoners as thorough a hearing as his IRA activists and sympathisers? No … But Martin Lynch is even-handed enough to show that the victims of Long Kesh included wives, children and the likes of [Billy Clarke’s Freddie], a decent prison officer reduced to alcoholic tatters by the hatred, the suffering and a sadistic fellow screw … Indeed, my main objection is that the play would have mattered more if it had been staged before the Good Friday agreement and the Maze’s closure. Lynch’s riposte is that this would be “like reporting on a football match having watched only half the game”. Still, we are watching vividly staged history, not events that demand action now.”
The Maze prison at Long Kesh (Long Meadow) outside Lisburn, County Down, had a relatively short but dramatic history dating from 1971 to 2000, when the last prisoners were released. It was mostly demolished eight years later and remains notorious for the IRA hunger strikes of 1980-81, when strike leader Bobby Sands was the first to die, 25 days after being elected as an MP.
Martin Lynch’s Chronicles of Long Kesh recreates the turbulent political history of those days through the lives of five inmates, their wives, and various other characters, both Republican and Loyalist, in a helter-skelter production reminiscent in style of the mould-breaking Oh! What A Lovely War.
Scenes blend seamlessly into each other as the years pass and the performers break into perfectly harmonised a cappella versions of Smokey Robinson hits, which serve as commentary on the action. The show is at once joyous, scary, comical, vicious and poignant. It’s not often that one can apply such a medley of adjectives to the same play and have them all carry equal weight.
It’s also very one-sided, of course. Maggie Thatcher is evil personified and the Republican paramilitaries are all long-suffering, misunderstood men who miss their wives and children while they smear their walls with excrement in protest at British Government policy. This is not an evening for moral debate about cold-blooded killing, but it is powerful theatre, containing a multiplicity of finely-drilled performances.
The pivotal figure is that of the ineffectual prison officer Freddie Gillespie (Billy Clarke), who links the whole story together, whilst himself turning to drink to cope with the experiences he undergoes. It’s an oddly goggle-eyed, innocent-abroad kind of portrayal, delivered in a semi-crouching position, as if he’s about to run for his life at any moment.
The plumber Eamonn, who goes on to become OC of his wing, is given both tremendous heart and tremendous hardness by Chris Corrigan. The concert-organising Oscar, who eventually cracks under the strain of the hunger strike deaths, and the slow-witted Toot, who communes with seagulls, are both beautifully realised by Marty Maguire and Marc O'Shea respectively. Andy Moore as hypochondriac Hank and Jo Donnelly as the taxi-driver murderer Thumper - and a string of doughty wives - are equally outstanding.
The show is directed by the writer and Lisa May with tremendous pace, gusto and conviction. Even if your political views are way out of line with those under examination here, this is an ensemble performance to savour.
A play set in and about the infamous Northern Ireland internment camp in the 1970’s, with pop songs sung a capella. Mmm…....Well, it’s good to report that it works. There’s no set as such, just an ensemble of six terrific actors , five of whom play multiple roles. It moves from angry to sad to funny to poignant on the turn of an actor from one role to another. The pace is fast, the precision is astonishing and the ‘gallows humour’ is delicious. At the time it was on my TV and in my newspaper almost daily, yet when I read the programme before it started I realised how much I’d forgotten. Though it doesn’t take sides, there is a risk (particularly for those who weren’t even alive then) that it will bury the evil many of these people were responsible for and even glamourise them as ‘lovable rogues’; this made me feel a little uneasy and would be my only reservation for what is otherwise an original idea executed with real panache. The WOS Q&A with the cast afterwards explained why it was so slick – these people have extraordinary chemistry with each other and seemed like lifelong friends rather than acting colleagues. - Gareth James
01 Apr 10
The kilburncat, the kilburncat, my how that pussay doth purr..!!! Tis as well Lads that the beauty of theatre is in the eye of the beholder...Irrespective of allegiances, nationality or faith...this is a wonderful piece of theatre, very finely worked and one which provides a real roller coaster ride through a very serious and disturbing period of recent history. It is beautifully acted, providing a comedic lightness without detracting from the poignancy of the disturbing events which occurred in the heart of what was then considered a very modern western world..As a minion with the world of Culture, one who seeks only to be entertained by my Theatre experiences, I certainly was that, and indeed more...my thanks for that and keep it up, I shall be recommending you to all and sundry...!!!
- Frank
18 Mar 10
I was there - and I am still there, reliving the powerful experience
'Alright now' has been redefined for me - I was in floods of tears. A magnificent play, so cleverly and almost classically constructed, with its chorus (the warden) and unity of place, the humour woven through the intensity. Unforgettable. - Maggie
17 Mar 10
History of the eponymous prison enacted by various unattractive characters and described by a mildly irritating narrator. The cast are well drilled and depict the characters they have been ascribed well, apart from some guying, but the staging and realisation are monochrome and the tone uniformly bleak. While offering an insight into the lives of the participants, the play does not raise any questions or put forward interesting ideas. Relentless. - kilburncat
Film information line 020 7328 1900. Society of London Theatre member. The theatre has a cafe - La Brunelloise Traiteur - serving pre theatre snacks and meals from £2-£6.
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