Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney as Clem and Aisling in Stones in his Pockets
When a Hollywood blockbuster is filming in a small Irish village, we see the chaos unfolding through the eyes of two extras Charlie and Jake – Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney.
The lot of an extra is, it would seem not a happy one. To earn their 100 euros a day, they are at the mercy of the various assistant directors and studio bods all under pressure as budgets are stretched and the weather disrupts shooting schedules.
Charlie appears to be the eternal optimist. He’s written a script which he hopes will be his big break but he’s clearly hiding something. Jake is more of a realist having returned from America after the promised land let him down.
There is a short ‘settling in’ period as you get used to the Irish accents and the rapid character changes but you will soon be immersed in the world of Charlie and Jake.
As well as the two main characters which at times have echoes of Laurel and Hardy about them; Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney also play 13 other characters ranging from Caroline Giovanni, the American star of the movie; assistant director Aisling (possibly the funniest of the lot) and veteran extra Mickey who proudly boasts he’s the oldest surviving extra from John Wayne’s The Quiet Man.
The way the pair switch almost instantly from one character to another will leave you breathless. The speed of the choreography is astonishing. A cap turned backwards, the position of a jacket, a piece of rope suddenly becoming a walking stick – all devices which alert the audience to which of this cast of misfits is in front of them.
Gerard McCabe and Shaun Blaney in Stones in his PocketsThe rapport between Charlie and Jake is touching and isn’t spoiled by them having to take on so many other roles.
There is a dark side to the play which adds a different dimension to proceedings, particularly in an engrossing second half.
And so Stones in his Pockets can make points about mental health, the effect of big business on small communities and poke fun at the whole film-making process without becoming preachy
Shaun Blaney as Jake and Gerard McCabe as Caroline in Stones in his PocketsAnd laughs abound throughout. At the heart of it all are two masterful performances from Messrs McCabe and Blaney who give a masterclass in multi-tasking which deservedly saw them getting a lengthy standing ovation.
Twenty-five years on, the show has added video screens and a bit of tech to the offering. But it remains the classic dark comedy it always was and it’s brilliantly executed by the two actors.
Until Saturday, November 2. Details from www.octagonbolton.co.uk