'Stones in his Pockets' and pots of blarney at Theatre
Published on October 15th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Don't be surprised to hear an Irish brogue around town greeting you with a "Top o' the mornin' to ya" over the next few weeks, as the Stoneham Theatre and Gloucester Stage Company have joined forces to produce Stones in his Pockets at Stonham Theatre.
'Stones', a comedy by Marie Jones that has been gaining- critical and popular success ever since its 1999 debut, and was awarded the prestigious Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Performances of Stones in his Pockets are scheduled at Stoneham Theatre October 9-26 following a three week run in Gloucester.
"It's quite funny, but I think it's a bittersweet comedy more than a hilarious comedy," said actor Derry Woodhouse, who plays Charlie. "The film has some serious subject matter, and deals with death and tragedy. It's a wonderful play, and is really about the bond and friendship between two lads that meet on the set of a movie."
"There's a nice contrast, and it helps to heighten the drama," added Woodhouse.
The play is expected to be a big draw for the sizable Irish community in the Greater Boston area, and may also benefit from some imaginative Stoneham Theatre promotions that place a pot 'o gold at the end of the audience's rainbow.
According to Stoneham Theatre spokesperson Jeremy Allen Thompson, each ticket purchased to 'Stones' will automatically be entered into an 8 day, 7 night trip to Ireland including airfare, lodging and rental car. The trip, donated by the Travel King and valued at approximately $1,000, will be announced and awarded one day after the last show 'Stones' show, on Oct. 27.
"It can be scheduled anytime between now and Sep. 1 2004 which gives people some flexibility," said Thompson. "The odds are tremendously better than the lottery: probably about 1 in 3,000 or so to win. A lot of people have been interested in that."
In addition, the Theatre and 'Stones" cast and crew have taken part in a pub-licity crawl through production. The 'Stones' brood has chosen several Irish pubs in and around Boston to aid in the promotion of the Irish stage production.
"The first three were at the Black Rose in Boston, the Skellig in Waltham, Hugh O'Neills in Malden, and this Thursday (Oct. 16) we'll be at the Burren," said Thompson. "We'll be closing out the pub-licity crawl at Coogan's Bluff in Boston on Oct. 24. It's a fun way to have the cast come out and meet the audience, and have a good time."
Stones in his Pockets is the story of a movie crew that descends on a small Irish town to film a Hollywood blockbuster. The play's two actors take on fifteen roles, from the film's stuffy English director to a flighty American starlet.
The two main characters, the grounded and experienced Jake Quinn (Claran Crawford) and the excitable and impulsive Charlie Conlon (Derry Woodhouse), who are a couple of locals pitching in as extras.
"They're the two anchor-men of the show, but they play everyone else on the set," said Woodhouse, who said it usually takes audiences 10 or so minutes to pick up on the connection of the show and all of the characters. "We play everything from the American acting superstars, to the kids' fathers, to little boys, to priests, to the director without changing costumes. We just kind of spin around on stage and become those other characters."
"I think part of the delight and challenge of the show is having the two actors playing 14 different roles," added Woodhouse.
Woodhouse said that one of the challenges of playing a multitude of characters is that you can't invest too much in one character at the exclusion of the other 13 characters.
"It's difficult to invest physically and emotionally into one character, and then have to immediately change into something else," said Woodhouse. "It took a while to get it into our bones."
Crawford and Woodhouse are recognizable to Boston audiences from roles in Ronan Noone's The Lepers of Baile Baiste and The Blowin' of Baile Gall. As an all-Irish cast of two like in the original production, they offer a staging of the play that's uniquely faithful to Jones' script.
Woodhouse thinks that the script has a Northern-Irish bent in both dialect and tone, but is a good representation of Irish culture and small Irish town life.
"I think to a certain degree," said Woodhouse. "Marie Jones is from the north, and I'm from the south, and I know in the writing you can tell it's written by someone from the North."
"The construction and structure of sentences and rhythm aren't like Kerry and western Ireland where I'm from," added the actor. "I think she does a fair job, however, of showing the kind of optimism that we (the Irish) have in the best and worst of times, and the drinking world that's talked about."
'Stones' Director Zoya Kachadurian has also directed for a number of New York and regional theatres, served as a producer for One Life to Live and Sesame Street, and stage managed for Tony Award-winning productions like Annie, Cats, and 42nd Street.
The rest of the Stoneham/ Gloucester creative team includes scenic designer Jenna McFarland, costume designer Adriana Tulian, lighting designer Judy Staicer, sound designer Jeremy Wilson, and stage manager Nicole Jesson.
In addition to the normal performance schedule, Stoneham Theatre has announced that local author Aine Greaney will visit the theatre during and after the 4 p.m. matinee performance of 'Stones.'
Greaney will give a sneak preview of her new novel 'The Big House' prior to the show, and will remain for a book signing after the performance. Greaney hails from County Mayo, and has lived and written in the United States since the mid-1980's.
Performances of Stones in his Pockets at Stoneham Theatre are Wednesdays, Oct. 15 and 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, Oct. 9, 16 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., Fridays, Oct. 10, 17 and 24 at 8 p.m; Saturdays, Oct. 11, 18 and 25 at 4 & 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Oct. 12, 19 and 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $32, seniors (62+) $27, students $16 (under 18 and with a valid college ID). Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more by calling 617-338-2000. Tickets may be purchased by calling 781-279-2200 or securely online at stonehamtheatre.org.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!