There’s a great little show opening at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center this weekend featuring a pair of top notch actors — John Maness and Ryan Kathman.
My favorite line from Marie Jones’ Stones in His Pockets: “Just stand there and look dispossessed.” Such are the instructions film extra Jake Quinn passes on to his mate Charlie Conlon. And as the movie cameras roll by, both men lean on imaginary sod-cutters, mouths agape, eyes hollow and hungry. The irony, of course, is that Jake and Charlie, like all the residents of Ireland’s County Kerry, are already quite dispossessed. Poverty is the norm and hopeless depression has spread across the countryside like a thick Irish fog. Only whiskey, pints, drugs, and a wistful nostalgia for the good old days keep the general population from drowning itself in the river. These days, County Kerry’s only useful as the backdrop for sprawling Hollywood dramas with fake happy endings. And since the glamorous cast and cocaine-sniffing crew of The Quiet Valley showed up with costumes, lights, and ready cash in tow, that’s exactly what it has become.
There’s a gimmick to this dark but giddy comedy: Two actors play all the residents of County Kerry. So it’s a bit like Greater Tuna, but intelligent and set in Ireland.
Stones is only running for four performances, and I probably won’t get to see this one. Would love to get some reader reviews in the comments though.
