Faith Healer

Brian Friel‘s mesmerising quartet of monologues Faith Healer now notches
up a trilogy of London appearances. It has been seen here every decade since
it was first premiered at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 1980, transferring to
London’s Royal Court in 1981, revived there in 1992, and now to be found
again at the Almeida at King’s Cross.

It’s a remarkable production history for a play that is only 21 years old to
have had three major outings so far; but then this is a remarkable play, and
there will doubtless be many more productions yet. That’s partly because of
the wonderful acting opportunities it affords for three middle-aged actors.
But more than that, it goes to the essence of theatre, which is to do with
the sheer power of storytelling and bearing witness to events – strange,
mysterious and powerful – that even its tellers don’t fully comprehend.

Faith Healer is, in other words, about the act as well as the art of communication – a
journey completed by the audience hearing these stories – but one in which
we are only tentatively apprised of the facts through the viewpoints of the
different speakers.

Frank – known on the posters as The Fantastic Francis Hardy – is the Irish
faith healer of the title, touring remote villages of Wales and Scotland
dispensing his gifts, which may indeed be miraculous or purely accidental.
They’re certainly promoted as much about showbusiness as they are for their
spiritual qualities. Are they, as critic Fintan O’Toole asks in a programme
note, chance or skill? Illusion or delusion?

As played by Ken Stott in a performance, of tremendous depth and great
humanity, that both opens and closes the play, the doubts of the man are
brutally laid bare; but there is no doubt at all about the skill of this
brilliant actor.

In between, we get the story from the perspective of his wife Grace and
manager Teddy. Geraldine James exudes calm but bitter disappointment at
the journey she has found herself on with Frank. But the bravura turn of the
evening turns out to be Ian McDiarmid‘s chameleon-like assumption
of Teddy. This is one of the finest, funniest and most touching performances
on the London stage.

Faith Healer is not an easy evening by any means: its two, interval-free hours
demand close attention. But Jonathan Kent‘s spellbinding production repays
the effort.

– Mark Shenton