Smiley – Lyric Theatre – Review by Cathy Brown

Until 2 July

Gary Mitchell has always found comedy in the political, but his new play Smiley, presented by the Lyric Theatre is a timely, football themed drama, played firmly for laughs throughout.

The eponymous Smiley (Michael Condron) needs to pay off his debts to crime boss Tara (Jo Donnelly), so devises a plan to put together a football team who will win the local league and the prize money of £25,000. And if they don’t win it, they’ll steal it.

The unlikely team consists of Smiley; his naïve son Tommy (Gavin Peden); an Elvis impersonator and his drag queen partner (Gerard McCabe and Tommy Wallace); ex-paramilitary Malcolm (a scene-stealing James Doran) and Charlie (Roisin Gallagher), who may be a girl, but is the best football player they have. If that sounds convoluted, it’s only the start as sub-plots featuring Smiley’s ex-wife Elaine (Kerri Quinn), his terminally ill ex-girlfriend and the poaching of acts from Tara’s club at times threaten to overwhelm the production.

Director Conall Morrison keeps the atmosphere fun and frenetic and while the first half suffers from a slow build of narrative, the second half delivers its twists and turns admirably. This is mostly down to a great energetic cast. Michael Condron is likeable and engaging as Smiley while Jo Donnelly impresses as his chilling nemesis Tara. As the ex-paramilitary now turned self-help loving thug Malcolm, James Doran perfectly captures the issue facing all the characters in the play – what do you do when you have to come up with new material? How do you adapt when the rules of the game have changed?

The comedy is broad and innuendo filled, with jokes hitting the back of the net every time, but occasionally the humour can feel dated and overwrought, particularly in the case of the character of Elaine.

Liam Doona’s astro-turf lined set is impressive but cumbersome, leading to prolonged scene changes but like the clever lighting it hints at ideas of identity and performance.

At heart, Smiley is a play about transition echoing the political situation in Northern Ireland, Mitchell is asking can and how we move on from the old ways and how do we become better people? He makes his point with subtlety and ultimately entertainment is never sacrificed for message. Smiley is a crowd-pleasing caper that gives audiences an alternative Northern Ireland team to cheer for.