David Ireland Archives - North West End UK

24Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Fifth Step – The Lyceum, Edinburgh

World Premier The fifth step of the AA 12 step recovery program states, Admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. This exercise begins to provide emotional, mental and spiritual relief. By sharing wrong with a trusted confidant, guilt and shame start to melt away. At least, that’s the theory. The Fifth Step, a play by David Ireland, received its World premier tonight. A dark comedy, directed by Finn den Hertog, stars a brilliantly watchable Jack Lowden as Luka, a recovering alcoholic searching for a sponsor in the Alcoholics Anonymous program. He meets James, a recovered alcoholic, played with assurance and sensitivity by Sean Gilder, an older man who, initially at least, seems ideal to guide him through the twelve steps. ...

Ulster American – Riverside Studios

A play about an American actor and English director and an Irish playwright sounds like the combination of two rather bad bar jokes but that is what David Ireland’s play Ulster American presents. While it might have been expected to be about the legitimate differences in the creative process between actors, writers and directors. In fact, it was a conflict between three rather implausible characters. Jay Conway, played by Woody Harrelson, is the American actor, with a glittering Hollywood career behind him. He has a great sense of his own importance and of being right even when he is clearly in the wrong. He carries his Oscar around with him to remind himself, and others of his omnipotence. From the beginning of the play, having only just recently arrived from America ...

Yes So I Said Yes – Finborough Theatre

David Ireland is known for his particularly absurd, political and wildly unpredictable pieces. This new play does not fail to reach and exceed the marks he has set for himself. David was commissioned, along with Robert Anthony Welch to write in response to the 100th anniversary of the Partition and what was created was an utter shock from start to end. Starting with only tiptoeing into dark territory to then diving head first to the end of the dark comedy spectrum. This piece does push buttons and people- but that is the intention. The piece follows ‘Snuffy’ (Daragh O’Malley) a Northern Irish protestant who begins in a Doctors office asking for advice on his neighbour’s dog who is constantly barking, so much so that he cannot sleep at night. Although he asks the neighbour to keep his do...