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The Kerry Matchmaker
- Tour.
Playwright - John B. Keane.
Director - Michael Scott.
Script adaptor – Phyllis Ryan.
Designer - Michael McCaffrey.
Lighting Designer - Michael Scott.
Company - Citytheatredublin [UK} Ltd..
Cast - here .
Venue - Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Dates - 6 - 10 April at 7:30pm.
2003 Tour Dates and Times - here .
Seen to review at Citizens Theatre, Glasgow on 6 April 2004.
Run Time - 2 hours 5 mins including 15 mins interval.
Reviewer - Vivien Devlin.
Intimate character portraits become dramatic masterpieces.
The Kerry Matchmaker - Citytheatredublin (UK) Ltd Production.
Una Mclean.
© photographer 2004
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The Matchmaker by John B Keane was first published as a novella in 1976,
written as a series of letters between Dick Mick Dicky O'Connor, a wedding
matchmaker who corresponds with isolated country men and women in search
of a spouse. 25 years later, the book was adapted by Phyllis Ryan
and Michael Scott into a two-hander play and over the past three years,
The Kerry Matchmaker has sold out theatres across Ireland, toured
to Broadway and the Edinburgh Fringe and serialised on BBC Radio 4.
Now Citytheatredublin (UK) Ltd has created a new production starring Una
McLean and Jimmy Chisholm for an eight week tour across Scotland.
With a lively Irish jig playing to get the feet tapping from the start,
you quickly get into the mood of 1950s County Kerry. A simple set denotes
two separate countryside homes, with table, teapot and cups, coat stands
and firewood. Dick O'Connor is writing to his sister Marj in Philadelphia
to tell her about local gossip, the wet weather and his current romantic
matchmaking schemes. Through skilful narration, quick donning of hats
and a plethora of accents, the actors create a community of characters
as the letters between Dick and Marj, lonely widows, sad spinsters, a
frustrated gentleman farmer and a shy 5 foot jockey are written and received.
In short, well paced and subtly directed sketches, each personal, poignant
story is a blend of comic and tragic.
Behind the Catholic guilt and repression, these ageing lonely-hearts are
desperate for sexual intimacy rather than mere love, believing that "the
disease of the single life is a curse beyond curing." There are moments
of sheer hilarity, such as outrageous treatments for impotence, Lena McGhee's
passion for sucking toffees and the sexually ambidextrous Mr. Glynn-Hunter.
In the hands of Chisholm and McLean - both experienced Variety
and pantomime performers as well as
accomplished actors - these intimate character portraits become dramatic
masterpieces.
The heart of this witty and heart-warming play is its poetic language,
coloured with a sense of truth and humanity which enriches it beyond a
light comedy. Author and raconteur John B Keane, who died in 2002
aged 73, lived all his days in Listowel, County Kerry, where he and his
wife ran the pub. His astute observations of life and people inspired
his writing. This is traditional Irish storytelling at its best, cleverly
adapted for the modern stage. I chuckled with laughter all the way.
©Vivien Devlin 6 April, 2004 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Cast: All roles played by Una McLean and Jimmy
Chisholm.
2004 Tour Details of City Theatre Dublin Uk's
production of The Kerry Matchmaker .
Tour begins
6 – 10 April at Glasgow Citizens Theatre 0141 429
0022.
13 April at Kirkcaldy Adam Smith Theatre 01592 412929.
16 April –1 May at Perth Rep 01738 621031.
4 – 6 May at Stirling McRobert Centre 01786 461081.
11 - 12 May at Inverness Eden Court 01463 234234.
14 -15 May at Kilmarnock Palace 01563 523590.
18 - 22 May at
7:45pm also Sat mat at 2:30pm. Edinburgh Royal Lyceum Theatre
0131 248 4848.
26 - 29 May at 7:45pm Dundee Rep 01382 434940.
Tour ends
Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is
thelma@edinburghguide.com
Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted
for any errors or omissions.
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