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By
Victoria Roddam
Penned
by the renowned Irish playwright and IRA activist Brendan Behan
in 1954, The Quare Boy is a vivid recreation of life in Ireland's
notorious Mountjoy Prison. Thirteen men await the execution of a
notorious murderer with varying degrees of humour, melancholy and
trepidation in an increasingly tense atmosphere.
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Listen
to the director Kathy Burke talking to 成人快手 Oxford's Rory Barnett
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This
long-overdue revival by the Oxford Stage Company is skillfully directed
by Kathy Burke, whose affinity with the gifted yet ill-fated playwright
clearly goes far beyond her own Irish roots. To have captured the
intense emotions, intrigues and human interaction which pervade
this play is her great achievement, particularly in light of the
fact that, as Burke herself has said, nothing especially dramatic
happens.
Unsentimental,
yet in turns poignant and comic, Burke's assured direction is ably
assisted by an extremely gifted supporting cast. Despite having
few props and little to distinguish one man from another, each character
lives their role fully, from the roguish and hilarious Dunlavin
(Ciaran McIntyre) to the clearly traumatized Warder Regan (Sean
Campion), whose job it is to sit with the condemned throughout his
last night.
The muted set allows the actors a free rein to fill the stage with
personality and presence, while Philip Chevron's haunting and resonant
musical direction captures both the political spirit of Old Ireland
and the complex emotions of life both in prison and at the end of
the hangman's noose.
A spirited
and profound mix of comedy and tragedy, this will prove a stimulating
evening for any theatergoer - to be highly recommended.
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