The Good Thief by
Conor McPherson
at North Melbourne
Town Hall until October 21, 2000
Reviewer: Kate
Herbert
If you see nothing
else in the Fringe Festival, see The Good Thief. It is uncommon to see a
monodrama that is impeccably written, performed and directed. The Good Thief is
such a play.
It is written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, performed
by Desmond Connellan and directed by the highly skilled Maeliosa Stafford who
was an actor and Artistic Director for Ireland's extraordinary Druid Theatre
until coming to Australia in 1993.
The stage is empty but for a rough chair and table.
Connellan plays a Dublin thug who intimidates people for his criminal boss. He
embarks upon a simple threatening job which escalates into his killing three
men with more deaths to follow.
We do not see any of the violent action but it is as vivid
to us as if we were there with him.
As he unfolds his tale of violence, mistakes, confusion and
horror, Connellan maintains a sense of warmth, innocence and hopefulness. In
spite of his terrible crimes, we are somehow compelled to be sympathetic to his
plight.
He is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, he tries to
protect the wife and child of one of his victims and he mourns the murder of
his friend's family.
Part of the horror is our thug's capacity to tell his story
with a cool detachment. McPherson's narrative is clean, witty, surprising and
filled with powerful and shocking imagery. The character is well-observed and
detailed in both the writing and performance.
Connellan is a great find for the Melbourne stage. He
maintains a charming, boyish exterior which is a perfect counterpoint to the
character's violent unpredictable behaviour.
Stafford allows McPherson's dialogue to speak for itself by
keeping the action uncluttered. He highlights the character and the escalating
drama of the narrative. Each shift in thought is visible and every moment in
the narrative is clearly drawn.
This is a real treat. Go see it!
By Kate Herbert
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