Bringing Westmeath into the Conversation
“Fella,” Liam Brady addresses the other cast members in Tom Murphy’s ‘Conversations on a Homecoming’, using the noun almost as a threat. The gift of the glorious Irish playwright was that he could imbue a single word with so much meaning.
As Longford’s Backstage Theatre Group stage ‘Conversations…’ next month, the weight of conveying the import of Brady’s words falls to Ballynacargy man Aidan O’Rourke. He portrays the quintessential west of Ireland cute hoor, old style estate agent, rate collector, farmer and possibly aspirational politician.
It’s a gem of a role in a play scratching at Irish archetypes with the deftness of a scalpel, before pummelling them with a lump hammer. This session in an east Galway pub sees a group of friends play catch up after a decade apart.
“I suppose he’s a successful man in the 70s,” Aidan says of the character. “He has numerous things in the kettle, or the oven, or whatever utensil you want to use,” he jokes.
That playfulness with words could be out of the play itself. Murphy is a master of making you think about what is being said, and asking you to think if it could mean something else.
Liam Brady is a support role, but he hinges the play: “He’s the successful man in the village and he doesn’t mind showing it off, either. Flashing the cash and being pretty boastful about all his accolades. He’s fond of the drink too. He enjoys having the schneer with the boys as well, when they allow him to join in.”
The person returning home in the title is portrayed by another Westmeath resident making his way along the N4 to rehearse in Longford: “I’m playing Michael Ridge,” Diarmuid McGuinness says. “He’s an Irish actor living in New York. He’s come home for a holiday after 10 years away and he reunites with all his old buddies in the local pub.”
Ridge, along with his best friend Tom, is the heart of the play: “I suppose we find out he’s a bit lost in New York. He’s not coming from a great place, he’s hoping to come home and find some answers. Reconnect with his past, back to when times were good for him, when things were inspiring and going well.”
This is not the first time Aidan and Diarmuid have acted together: “I suppose the first time I came to Longford was three years ago to be a part of Sive,” Aidan told the Westmeath Examiner. “That’s where I met Diarmuid. We kept in contact over those three years.
“When I saw the auditions for this play, I decided to come over. I didn’t expect to see Diarmuid. It’s great to be cast and share a stage with him again.”For Diarmaid this is a sort of homecoming: “I grew up just a few hundred metres from the Backstage Theatre, but I’m living up in Killucan now. My first play was here in Backstage with Canal Studio Productions and I’ve done a good few here since.
“This will be my second production with Backstage Theatre Group. The first was Sive, and we’ve all worked together with Charlie [McGuinness the director] before and had a great experience. We’re loving this play and rehearsals are going well so far.”
Aidan says the play is an easy sell to audiences: “Any evening at the theatre is always good for the mental health. I enjoy doing it for that reason myself. It’s a fantastic story about Michael, as Diarmuid said, a man looking to find his way in the world and looking for a bit of help from his friends. It’s a great story with a great cast. So if you’re a fan of the theatre, please come and see it because it’s just a lovely piece of theatre.”
Rounding out the cast are: Ger Rafferty as Tom, Tom Lyons as Junior, Eileen Murphy as Missus, Laura Brennan as Peggy, and Derfhinn Bushell completes the ensemble as Anne.
Following their series of sell-out Spring productions over the last three years, Backstage Theatre Group will bring Tom Murphy’s ‘Conversations on a Homecoming’ to their home venue in Longford on Thursday March 12 to Saturday March 14, at 8pm.