The Lieutenant of Inishmore

[smallhobbit]

As soon as this play was announced last November I booked a ticket realising I could see it during the time I normally spend up in London.  It's a play written by Martin McDonagh in 1994, although not staged until 2001.  But the attraction was seeing Aidan Turner on stage.  Which, I rather imagine, was the reason most of the audience were there.

The play is set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and although the critics seem mostly favourably impressed, I don't think it was anywhere near as good as The Ferrryman.  There's violence and there's just plain stupid.  It's gory, which, given the right context, I accept (think Titus Andronicus), but this is played for laughs and to my mind laboured.  The play was seeking to make a point, but for me it failed completely.  Others may disagree.

But Aidan Turner was very good.  I'd happily see him in something else.  He conveyed a range of emotions believably and raised his character, Padraic, from the level of the almost sit-com nature of the other characters.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Did he take off his shirt? :)

[smallhobbit]

No! He wore a white vest (I believe you call them wifebeaters) and at one point a leather jacket.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Well, that's all right, too. Wifebeater doesn't conceal much :)

[smallhobbit]

No - nothing to complain about there ;)

[margaret_r]

Definitely worth going for Aidan Turner alone ...*g*

[smallhobbit]

Yes, I'm not complaining there ;)

[vix_spes]

Really interesting to see that you didn't connect with this one ... I absolutely loved it! I definitely agree with you that Aidan Turner was very good though and I'd love to see him in something else

[smallhobbit]

I thought you had! I could happily have had more of Aidan Turner and less of everyone else, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I would love to see AT in something else too.