Navan's triumph with 'The Plough and The Stars'

Navan Theatre Group marked its 25th anniversary and the 1916 centenary year by presenting Sean O'Casey's 'The Plough and the Stars' in Solstice Arts Centre. The play was performed over five nights and sold out well in advance. Those present were treated to a stunning night of drama by a cast and crew under the accomplished direction of Caitriona Heslin. O’Casey wrote a brilliant drama and Heslin crafted an exceptional production.
From the moment Mrs Gogan entered the tenement to the tragic exit of Bessie Burgess this play engaged the audience who responded with standing ovations each night. O’Casey cast a critical pen over the cost of the rebellion on the lives of the ordinary people of Dublin and used his well-drawn female characters to connect to the tragedy of war both in the streets of Dublin and on the front in Belgium. The sharp wit of the dialogue captures Dublin at its comic best and amid all the tension of the tenement the ‘nothingness’ of poverty is shared with a kindness only known by those who experience it.
The play revolves on ensemble work that underlines the way O’Casey viewed all his characters as integral to the social scene he describes so vividly. Fluther Good threads all the drama together in a comic and kindly portrayal of a man at one with himself and those whose lives he touches. The banter between Uncle Peter and The Young Covey infuses lightness through the otherwise harsh reality of the tenement. Jinny Gogan and Bessie Burgess, the sparring neighbours who ultimately depended on each other entertained throughout as they traded insults and indeed came to blows in a raucous pub scene only to be ejected by the barman. Yet the kindness of both is ever present in their minding of young Mollser who is a central focus in the play.
Jack and Nora Clitheroe are a couple caught in a tug of war of their own as Jack follows the revolution and Nora disintegrates without him. Langon and Brennan were the revolutionaries who soldiered together and were eventually separated by the death of Langon. When the drama ends we are left with Tinley and Stoddart, the British Army men who came to clear the tenement. O’Casey draws on life outside the tenement and Rosie Redmond the ‘scarlet lady’ who struggles to sell her wares reminds us that there is a human side in every trade. The Woman from Rathmines happened upon a revolution from which she hurries back to her more secure surroundings. The Voice, aka, Padraig Pearse was very present in this production as the fight for Irish freedom asserted itself over the Covey’s cry for the emancipation of the workers.
The action was well served by a spectacular street scale set that held the human stories within its crumbling walls and facilitated the revolution as it opened onto the street with the added impact of an authentic barricade. The lighting and sound worked well throughout and created the tension and sound effects needed to add that layer of danger that was ever present with the proximity of the rebellion just streets away. The costumes and styling were all fitting for the 1916 period and added to the overall strength of the production. The setting required four complete scene changes and credit goes to the stage team for well worked swift transitions.
The cast of 16 performed together in a way that brought living the revolution to life and dying for Ireland to an art form. There were no minor characters in this production just smaller roles that added to the colour and understanding of a social revolution taking place in a war zone and none more than The Woman from Rathmines played by Paula Gibney who added a touch of glamour and sophistication to the otherwise impoverished setting. There were many memorable performances and Adele Crilly excelled as Nora. She was ably supported by James O’Connell as Jack who moved between revolution and domesticity with ease. The wonderfully spiteful interaction between Joanne Donoghue as Mrs Gogan and Trudy Smyth as Bessie Burgess was a master class in tragic comedy and their looting scene was so vivid in its delivery. The talented Jim O’Leary got every fibre of O’Casey’s Fluther and was a joy to watch.
Mick Roban as Uncle Peter displayed perfect comic timing in a difficult role which brought appreciative response from the audience. His foil The Covey was played by Patrick Fox who delivered the tongue twisting Covey dialogue with ease and no small amount of skill. Mollser played by Ciara Cooney displayed an acting maturity beyond her 14 years. Rosie Redmond was beautifully pitched by Gina Lumsden and she brought the best from Tom the barman played by Seamus McMenamin. The Military men added energy and urgency that underlined the proximity of the conflict. Brennan demanded a nuanced performance from Nigel Ryan as he was involved in all four acts. Both Eoin Kenny and Ray O’Hare doubled up in roles and played two characters each. Kenny as the bullet torn Langon and later as Stoddart of the Wiltshires delivered both roles with credibility and commitment. Ray O’Hare delivered an eloquent Pearse as he urged the nation to seek its freedom; and as Captain Tinley he and Stoddart brought the curtain down on a beautifully crafted ensemble performance from a cast giving it everything and a director who delivered the most challenging of dramas in a fitting tribute to O’Casey’s sentiment on social revolution that ‘one drop of the milk of human kindness is worth more than the deepest draughts of the red wine of idealism’.
The cast of The Plough and the Stars was Jim O’Leary, Joanne Donoghue, Mick Roban, Patrick Fox, Adele Crilly, Trudy Smyth, James O’Connell, Nigel Ryan, Ciara Cooney, Séamus McMenamin, Gina Lumsden, Ray O’Hare, Eoin Kenny, and Paula Gibney.