Review of Loft Theatre Company production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2011)

The question is, how much can we laugh at terrorism, torture and violent death?

The answer: quite a lot when they come under the satirical and acerbic spotlight of an incorrigible and acclaimed second-generation Irishman like Martin McDonagh.

But there is only one way to tackle this playwright’s rampant full-blooded excesses and director Gordon Vallins has truly grasped the nettle. He goes in fearlessly to give shudderingly bloodthirsty and at the same time hilarious life to what is in essence a chronicle of carnage.

The tale evolves from the death of an adored cat and a psychotic terrorist’s quest for revenge. No pussy-footing here, though. While his prospective victims quake, his colleagues set out to destroy an out-of-control threat to their cause.

This spirited production gives full vent to the cynicism and bitterness which underscore the traditional rebel anthem The Patriot Game (performed here with fine melancholy by Eva Clifford). At the same time it enables pent-up emotions to explode into raw comedy. We laugh guiltily, perhaps, but hey, we laugh.

A hard-working cast displays great enthusiasm, if not always maximum effectiveness, but the direction keeps a tight grip on the style and pace to ensure a breathless, roller-coaster ride of black-comic savagery. Jimmy Proctor powerfully delivers the manic passion of the unhinged avenger and there’s a great comic turn from Gus MacDonald as a long-suffering older victim of inflamed youthful idealism.

The Irish accents are variable, faring best with Andy MacCallum’s death squad leader and Eva Clifford’s feisty gun girl, but the overall framework is brilliantly sustained, with irresistible nods to the play’s Wild West parallels – embodying the time-honoured principles of a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do right through to a grand OK Corral shoot-out.

Even these, however, are put in the shade by a wonderfully staged finishing flourish.

In all, this is a tremendous achievement by a non-professional theatre company.

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Peter McGarry is an experienced, independent professional theatre critic who has agreed to review Loft Theatre Company productions.

The agreement with the Loft is that Peter is free to express his opinions for good or ill. The Loft Theatre Company has no control whatsoever over the content of these reviews and will never comment publicly on what he writes.