The real enemy in this sobering play is in the bottle
It’s Christmas Eve in Baldoyle, a coastal suburb north of Dublin in the shadow of Binn Éadair (Howth Head), a place steeped in the myths and legends of Irish folklore, writes Frankie Jenner.
Two brothers blunder around their bleak living room: Richard, a boozing bully recently blinded from a drunken encounter with a skip, and his younger brother Sharky, visibly worn down by a series of boozy brawls and broken promises. Much to Sharky’s disdain, a string of local layabouts – Ivan and Nicky – announce themselves at their door, bringing with them a shadowy visitor, Mr Lockhart. The evening quickly descends into a haze of gambling and regret. On the surface, it’s just another game of poker, but in reality it’s a game for Sharky’s soul.
First performed at the National Theatre in 2006, Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer is a whiskey-soaked tale of familial ties, the weight of hidden guilt and the hollow promise of redemption.
The set is preserved in its own stale breath, heavy with the fug of spilt beer and stale milk that Richard has a tendency to fling across the musty carpet; the living room furniture sags and Ivan’s cigarette smoke sticks to the walls. So it’s clear that when Mr Lockhart announces himself in a sharp, pressed suit, he’s not here for a festive jolly; instead, he’s come for Sharky. “I’m the son of the morning, Sharky. I’m the snake in the garden. I’ve come here for your soul this Christmas.”
Matthew Flexman as Mr Lockhart commands the brilliance of McPherson’s script, shrouded with mystery and masterfully concealing his sinister intentions. Eugene Duffy’s portrayal of the play’s protagonist, Sharky, is convincing – carrying himself with the hollow resignation of a man going through the mundane motions of everyday life with very little hope. James Ross Turner as Ivan and Nick Thomas as Nicky Giblin settle nicely into their roles as Richard’s comrades-in-ale, bound less by affection than habit. But it’s Ian Cooke as Richard that shines in this production, as the cantankerous and foul-mouthed bully.
The Seafarer insinuates that these men build their own prisons from the guilt and failure they try to drown with drink; the devil might literally sit at the table, but the real enemy in this sobering play is in the bottle.
The Seafarer is on at Greenwich Theatre through Saturday 24 October. Tickets are £26.50.
Booking and full details: https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/the-seafarer/
