The Black Wolfe Tone – Project Arts Centre – Review

The Black Wolf Tone by Fishamble: The New Play Company and Irish Repertory Theatre

Written and Performed by Kwaku Fortune
Dates: 4 – 14 June

We meet our main protagonist, Kevin (Kwaku Fortune), as he’s having a cigarette in the yard of a mental institution. He’s waiting to meet a panel of doctors to find out if he can be released back into society, or more importantly, if he’s ready to face the world again. In the moments before he goes inside, he tells the audience the story of how he came to be confined in this place.

This is a new one-man show, written and starring Kwaku Fortune. Kwaku is from Roundwood, County Wicklow, but is of Ghanaian descent on his mother’s side. He has been a regular on stage in Ireland in recent years, as well as appearing on TV shows such as The Dry and Normal People.

While the production is being billed as “about identity”, the main focus is on mental illness and Kevin’s struggles to hold things together. There are discussions on the various tablets he is taking, their purpose and their side effects.

Kevin suffers from bipolar disorder and has episodes of mania along with severe depression.  Fortune delivers a high-energy performance as he bounds around the stage with an effervescent grin. It is an intense and slightly intimidating display, complete with minor moments of audience interaction.

The Set Design by Maree Kearns gives us a symphony in grey, as we see the concrete paving stones and walls of the institution’s yard. There is a dead tree on one side of the stage, reminiscent of a leftover Beckett prop.

The play is a well-written account of a man suffering from mental health issues. The further complication is the colour of his skin and the feeling of being an outsider in his own country. Kevin clearly has a knowledge of Irish history. He sings rebel songs and also sees himself as the titular Black Wolf Tone. The pace is unrelenting, and you’re fully immersed in the world of this damaged individual. It’s hard not to warm to this character and feel for his plight. It’s a difficult tale, but told with humour and compassion.

Irish Tour: 
June 4 – 14, 2025  – Project Arts Centre
June 17 – 18, 2025 – Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
June 20 – 21, 2025 – Cork Arts Theatre, ​Cork Midsummer Festival

Cast –
Kwaku Fortune
Voice of Nurse Clare Barrett

Creative Team –
Playwright: Kwaku Fortune
Director: Nicola Murphy Dubey
Set & Costume Designer: Maree Kearns
Lighting Designer: Adam Honoré
Music & Sound Designer: Denis Clohessy
Artistic Director (Fishamble): Jim Culleton
Artistic Director (Irish Rep): Charlotte Moore

Production Team –
Producer: Laura MacNaughton
Production Manager: Eoin Kilkenny
Assistant Producer: Evie McGuinness
Stage Manager (Rehearsals): Sophie Flynn
Stage Manager (Irish Tour): Steph Ryan
Marketing (Fishamble): Allie Whelan
Trailer: Jeda de Brí
Artwork: Leo Byrne & Publicis
PR: O’Doherty Communications
Executive Director: Eva Scanlan
Producing Director (Irish Rep): Ciarán O’Reilly
Relighter: Matt McGowan