The Quiet Men – Viking Theatre – Review
Review by Frank L

The Quiet Men – Written and Performed by Morgan C. Jones

Morgan Jones is a great-nephew of the brothers Arthur Shields and his elder brother William, better known by his stage name Barry FitzGerald. This monologue is a tribute to their respective acting careers in Ireland with the Abbey, but primarily in the United States. It looks at their successes and the challenges they faced. Jones starts with Barry being in serious trouble in Los Angeles during the First World War, while William is deported to Frongoch for his part in the 1916 Rising.

In relation to Barry, the story concentrates on some of his numerous successes in Hollywood, including his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1944, for “Going My Way”. In relation to Arthur, Jones’s attention is more focused on his marital affairs and the challenges that they created for him in the United States while still being a successful actor. Jones moves easily between the brothers and conducts a splendid interview between Alfred Hitchcock and Barry, in relation to a film adaptation of “Juno and the Paycock”.

The set consists of a small table with a telephone on it and two director chairs, one marked “Shields”, the other “FitzGerald”. Appropriately, there is a small film screen stage right on which some contemporary footage appears, but also background information as the performance proceeds.

Jones is a professional voice-over actor, and he uses these skills to great effect as he portrays the two brothers as they make their way in the nascent film industry. It did not exist when they were born. He proceeds chronologically. However, he peppers the cinematic and theatrical successes with personal anecdotes, which bring to the forefront that Hollywood, for all its glamour, was full of everyday, more mundane challenges.

Jones has created a fine tribute to his great, grand uncles and also an engaging hour of theatrical entertainment as he brings these two acclaimed actors back into clear view. They paved the way for many Irish actors in Hollywood who have followed.  Jones has done them a great service with this theatrical tribute.