Northern Star – Project Arts Centre – Review

Written by Stewart Parker

Dates: 25 Apr – 7 May 8pm €25/20
Matinees: Sat 30 Apr & Sat 7 May 2pm €20

Henry Joy McCracken is a figure in Irish history whose name is better known to most than any hard facts about his life. Those who know his name will probably know that he was an Ulsterman, a protestant and a member of the United Irishmen in 1798. After that, the facts about him will probably not be plentiful. In Northern Star, he is the vehicle whom Stewart Parker uses to enlighten his audience about the ethnic, religious, political and social knot which surrounds those born in Ireland. McCracken is on the run when the play begins, the father of an illegitimate infant child living in a wind-swept shack with his lover Mary Bodle (Charlotte McCurry).

The impressive set represents the back of a stage with all the clutter of props going to be used in a production lining the walls, together with the reverse side of four flats. This mise en scene complements Parker’s story line as he uses the very different styles of playwrights Sheridan, Boucicault, Wilde, Shaw, Synge, O’Casey, Behan and Beckett, all united by being born in Ireland, to illustrate the entangled and complex knot he seeks to describe. The part of Henry Joy McCracken is played by Paul Mallon. It is such an extraordinarily demanding part that director Lynn Parker has chosen that in certain parts of the story three other members of the cast, male and female, play Henry Joy. This stratagem is accomplished by the actor donning a green soldier’s coat which is symbolic of 1798. It is a simple device which works well.

Apart from Paul Mallon and Charlotte McCurry, the other members of the cast have to play a variety of characters. This requires acting skills at an elevated level which Richard Clements, Darragh Kelly, Eleanor Methven, Rory Nolan, Robbie O’Connor and Ali White reach with confident ease.

It is a demanding piece of theatre that requires the full attention of the audience. Stewart Parker’s text is diverse and complex, and will send the brain running off in a multitude of directions as it operates on many levels. It would certainly help to have an understanding of the play or the historical figure behind it before entering the theatre. Lynne Parker’s in-depth knowledge of the drama insures that the diversity of the play becomes its strength. Her direction is matched by the quality of the acting. In this production everything comes together to create a theatrical challenge to the audience of some considerable merit.