Tag: David Ireland

What The Animals Say by David Ireland, Finborough Theatre, 3 October 2026

Janie and I both had a truly excellent evening of theatre with this one. If you are reading this piece wondering whether or not to see this play/production, please interrupt your reading, click this link to The Finborough and “sort yourself out” before reading any further on this piece.

We are fans of the Finborough, which tends to put on several productions a year that “float our boat”. This one certainly did.

For a start, the playwright is David Ireland. Janie and I saw his astonishing and wonderful play Cyprus Avenue in 2016…

Cyprus Avenue by David Ireland, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 30 April 2016

…and I have been on the scout for his stuff ever since.

Stop press: a film of that astonishing production of Cyprus Avenue is available on iPlayer until June 2027 – click here.

We missed out on his Ulster American when we went to the Edinburgh Fringe for a week in 2018, because I didn’t spot it ahead of time and learnt that it was the sold-out, must-see production of that season.

We might have missed out on What The Animals Say at the Finborough too, had it not been for a tangential e-conversation with Ben Schwarz about the Director, Harry Burton, a few weeks ago.

Ben was aware that Harry had been in touch with me, through Ogblog, about some earlier work…

The Wonder: A Woman Keeps A Secret, Susanna Centlivre, The Gate, 16 September 1989

…and that Harry & I had subsequently corresponded about theatre, Pinter, cricket and stuff.

Ben suggested that we three meet, I suggested that the last cricket match of the season at Lord’s in late September would be a suitable occasion, Ben discovered that Harry was going to be in full rehearsal for What The Animals Say at that time, and the rest is history.

For the record, Ben and I did spend a most enjoyable day at Lord’s for that match between Middlesex & Northants.

It looked a bit like this, although Ben joined me on 24th, Day One, whereas I took this picture when I popped back to Lord’s late on Day Two.

But I digress.

As indeed do the characters in What The Animals Say, verbally leaping around their earlier lives, their current lives, their aspirations, their dashed hopes, and, naturally, the Troubles. The politics of Northern Ireland is never far away in David Ireland’s work.

The largest heaps of praise, though, must go to the two actors, Robbie Martin and Matthew Blaney, who absolutely make this play dance off the page and onto the stage. Janie commented afterwards that this play could only possibly work on the stage if both actors were top notch.

Great praise also to Harry Burton, who has directed this short, powerful piece with aplomb.

This production really does deserve a larger audience. I feel like a stuck record when I say this about Finborough productions – but that house is so small and the runs are so short. Surely this production of What The Animals Say will be picked up for a transfer.

If it is still October 2026 and you read all the way to the end here without clicking the Finborough link and grabbing some tickets before it is too late…click here…Now please.

Cyprus Avenue by David Ireland, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 30 April 2016

Photo by Albert Bridge via Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0 / Cyprus Avenue, Belfast

Many months ago, when I read the sparse Royal Court promotional synopsis of this play, to Janie, she said, “surely not?” But I said, “it sounds weird and intriguing, I’d really like to give this one a go”.

Eric Miller, a Belfast loyalist, believes that his new born granddaughter is Gerry Adams.

I was also attracted by the fact that this was to be a joint production with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and that the magnificent Stephen Rea was going to be in it.

Several months later, when (as is often the case) we have both forgotten what we booked and why, Janie asked me again what the play we were due to see that evening was about. I told her. “I can’t believe we booked that,” said Janie. “It was my idea; my bad if it’s no good. But I have a feeling it’s going to be something special”, I replied.

It really is something special.

When we got to the Royal Court, we went to see Simon David in the bookstall to buy our programme and find out what he thinks. Simon is often quite critical and we don’t always agree with him. “It’s marvellous”, said Simon, “I’ve seen it twice and am hoping to sneak in again this evening to see it for a third time.” He did.

When we sat down, the lady sitting next to me said, “you’re in for a treat this evening. I don’t often come back to see a play a second time, but I’ve come back to see this one again. The acting is just marvellous.”

Frankly, I might look at the script to get my head around some of the incredible dialogue again, but having experienced this extraordinary piece as a member of the audience, once is enough. It is unusual and special and a very clever piece; it is superbly acted, provoking laughter, thought and horror in equal measure. But once is enough.

From the very first scene, when Eric (Stephen Rea) calmly asks his psychiatrist, “why are you a nigger?”, through the flashbacks where we learn of Eric’s delusion about his granddaughter and his back story from the troubles, the piece is funny and yet chilling.

Perhaps the funniest scene is the watershed (scene six) which starts as a long soliloquy by Eric and ends as a frantic scene between Eric and Slim, the loyalist paramilitary, played wonderfully by Chris Corrigan. You know you shouldn’t be laughing at the rantings of these crazed extremists, yet there is something inherently funny about them. Heck, my NewsRevue friends and I wrote enough songs and sketches about it back in the day – one example linked here.

When the play pans out to its inevitably horrific conclusion, of course you know that discrimination, extremism, prejudice and terrorism are no jokes. This play/production works the audience’s cognitive dissonance like a maestro conductor with a great orchestra and a fine symphony.

Highly recommended, but (as they used to say on the telly when I was a child) not for people of a nervous disposition.

The play and production has understandably been very well received by the critics: