Stones in his Pocket
Production: Stones in his Pocket
Venue: Grand York Opera House
Rating: ****
Stones in his Pocket is a comedy written by Marie Jones, set in a rural town in County Kerry, Ireland. It concerns the invasion of this quiet place by an American production company who want to film their latest romance, ‘The Quiet Valley’, in an idealised Ireland. However, this idyllic view of seems to be at odds with how the locals see their town. The story centres around two of the locals, Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn, who are working as paid extras in the film. Both of the men, in their own ways, have dreams of making it in the film industry and finding a way to escape their small town and both of them see these dreams challenge and alter as a result of their experience in the movies.
The whole cast consists of just 2 actors, who play all 15 characters. The different parts are brilliantly sustained by David Caves and Jack Reynolds. Using mostly varying accents and very physical acting to distinguish between the different characters, the changes in role are both hilarious and, for the most, easy to follow. Particularly funny was Caves performance as the beautiful American superstar Caroline Giovanni, whose determination to grasp an Irish accent, no matter how terrible it sounds, becomes one of the many running jokes throughout the play. Also entertaining was Reynolds as the ubiquitous hair-flicking Ashley.
The staging of this production was very basic. It consisted of little more than a cloud covered backdrop, a long row of shoes at the rear of the stage and a couple of prop boxes. This meant that the performance hinged completely on the ability of Caves and Reynolds. Through their acting alone they take the audience on the journey of their many characters, while creating, through their sheer stage presence, the setting required to make this a believable performance. The simple staging allowed them to both display the true vibrancy of their acting abilities.
While Caves and Reynolds were able to sustain real comedy throughout, their performance did at times fall flat when dealing with more sensitive issues. The only real weakness of this production was the portrayal of Sean Harkin’s suicide, which lacked the intensity of the more comic moments. Instead of fully exploring the wider range of emotions that a more delicate moment offered, Caves and Reynolds both allowed their acting to become more subdued. It did not have a convincing emotional impact and it failed to affect the audience in the same way that the more comic moments were able to.
Despite this, Stones in his Pocket definitely makes for an entertaining and enjoyable evening, being an amusing, well-acted and engaging for any audience. Unfortunately only on for one night in York, the tour continues across the country until the middle of June.
Stones in his Pocket was performed on Weds 4th March at the York Grand Opera House
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