Showing @ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 20 Apr

The recent outbreak of violence that erupted throughout Belfast in response to the proposed lowering of the union flag from Belfast city hall, is a clear indication that Irish and British relations are far from resolved. Adrian Dunbar’s new production of Brian Friel’s 1980 script harks back to the origins of these ill feelings.

In 1833 a rural Irish community is interrupted by the Royal Engineers’ arrival, charting the landscape to map the entire country. The language barriers presented between Irish and English are bridged by hedge-school master Hugh (Des McAleer) and his son Owen (Dermott Hickson), who’s been employed by the British as an interpreter, translating and anglicising traditional Irish place names.

Friel’s script takes centre stage as Dunbar’s attempts to hold interest outside of the engaging text (live accordion music) are somewhat hindered by the action feeling rather limited, partly due to the banal and rather uninspiring set. The play’s early discussion of a newborn’s baptism, where we’re told the boy will be named after his father (apparently there are numerous possibilities), arises the Shakespearean question “What’s in a name?” but throughout the production, Friel exposes the importance of cultural identity inherent in titles.

Unsurprisingly language is at the heart of this production, Friel dressing it in so many guises that it underpins nearly every aspect of the performance. He shows its ability as a playful tool with the caricatured Captain Lancey mistaking Latin for Gaelic, or the quick fire translations of Greek words by Hugh’s pupils. However Friel also displays language’s political significance, as the process of anglicising Irish locations becomes a metaphor for the wider concern of the contentious issue of England’s presence in Ireland. The confusion between different native tongues emphasises the ‘us and them’ situation (seen in Captain Lancey’s final address) but also provides welcome moments of humour in the politically heavy plot. This return to the root of the now age-old dispute, puts into perspective why people are still so impassioned about it.

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