Published: Wednesday, 2nd December, 2009 5:00pm

Ramor Players strike a chord

Eileen Ward's experience showed from the moment she walked on the Ramor Theatre stage as Nora Dan in The Communication Cord last Friday evening.

From the audience point of view Eileen was that nosey-parker middle aged country spinster, from the tone of voice to the way she walked and held her hands.

She was brilliant, but that's not to say the less experienced cast members let themselves down.

Albert Gillick took a while to settle down as the constantly worried Tim Gallagher but he showed flashed of real promise, while Siobhan Brady seemed to love being the slightly devious Claire Harkin.

Mícheál O'Reilly was the man with the plan, Jack McNelis, who was bursting with energy and presence, and had fun with the part, especially when it came to ribbing his friend, The Professor (Tim), the character who, as a doctorate student of language had most to say about it and its effects - the main theme of Friel's play.

Edel McLean as Susan Donovan and Will Govan as her father, the senator and doctor, fairly lit the place up when they arrived in the little Donegal cottage near the coast at Ballybeg, Friel's favourite village or townland, or whatever it is.

Edel was a feisty bundle of determination who knew exactly what was required, while Will was a tower of refined but down-to-earth poshness.

His English twang was just right to portray a doctor politician from somewhere in Co. Down and when he finally left the stage it was with a flourish that would have made a stronger ending that the one we were left to contemplate.

Patrick Farrelly was the cast member who probably had most freedom to act the eejit. He played Barney The Banks, a German with limited English who enjoyed a drop of "wodka" - both ingredients that helped to create amusing confusion. Liz O'Hanlon appeared near the end as the real Evette Giroux and held her own for the short while she had on stage.

Rónán Ward did a fine job as a first time director (though that ending was a bit weak; we weren't sure whether to applaud when the cottage loft crashed down and the lights dimmed, or whether there was more to come) and the set designers and builders can be proud of what they created.

This story of a group of disparate individuals thrown together raised plenty of chuckles and apart from the ending worked well as an examination of how language can be misinterpreted and re-interpreted to amusing effect.

The Communication Cord plays at the Ramor Theatre in Virginia tomorrow Thursday, December 3, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 (8.30pm). See ramortheatre.com.

- Brian O'Loughlin

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