Hugh Leonard‘s 1978 play sees Charlie, a man in middle age, return to his childhood Dublin home on the death of his father to do battle with the ghosts of his early life: his younger self, his Ma and his Da – all the bonds that never quite let him escape to the life he wanted. It’s rich, dark, full of Irish pathos, and thick with cynical humour.
It’s an inspired choice by Edinburgh’s Arkle Theatre (topically named considering it’s Cheltenham week!), nicely lit (Peter Horsfall) and directed (John Lally). It’s good also to see a small company using a large cast and big stage (an extended one in the Roxy’s main hall)
Paul Beeson plays the lead, a lugubrious and disappointed Charlie. His Da (Charles Finnie) has an accent that is back and forth on the Stranraer ferry, but his mannerisms and physicality capture the man.
There are excellent turns from Matthew Thomson as Young Charlie and mother Judith Gardner Jones. She’s called upon for a Mrs Doyle “go on, go on, go on” scene at one point but overall offers a much more rounded performance that avoids Irish matriarchal stereotypes.
Alistair Wales as Oliver has a striking tone that hits the ears strangely at first, but by the end the character grows endearing, particularly when delivering what amount to the play’s catchphrases. Rob Mackean plays Drumm, Charlie’s erstwhile boss, with the same creepy stiffness as Paddy Considine’s priest in the last Peaky Blinders series, while Caroline Hood and Angela Harkness Robertson complete the cast of eight with single scene parts, effectively performed.
Casting choices mean there isn’t the obvious age gap between characters that there perhaps should be. There are also turns of phrase and socio-cultural references that distance the play, and take a while to roll with. But it rewards perseverance through early bumpiness, and the second act brings some satisfying resolutions that the company pull off well.
This, their spring show, runs until Saturday, then it’s on to their two shows at the Fringe.