Pictured during a fight scene in The Quare Fellow are L-R: Gary Lacy, John McEvoy, Peter Byrne and Peadar Lafferty (in the background).

Audience immersed in action in comic prison drama

Sadly the opening night of Both Sides Theatre Company's hugely enjoyable production of Brendan Behan's play The Quare Fellow didn't get the crowd it deserved. The sheer effort that went into the production went largely unrewarded in terms of audience numbers, but the warmth of the reception was reward enough for the 15-strong cast. First performed in 1954, Behan's play centres on the inter-relationships between inmates and guards of a Dublin prison, with the shadow of the execution of 'The Quare Fellow' looming over proceedings - will he get a last minute reprieve? An unexpected taster for what lies ahead is provided on arrival at The Anglo-Celt Centre carpark, where theatre-goers are approached by the intimidating figure of a burly prison guard in full regalia. The structure of the truly impressive set, combined with the stalking, guldering guards scrunching over gravel and around the audience, succeeds in fulfilling director Rose O'Neill's stated ambition of immersing them in the action. As such the viewer immediately empathises with their 'fellow' inmates, and that warmth only grows during the first act as the wise-cracking, good natured jibes and obvious camaraderie comes across. Peter Byrne and Cathal Dolan excel in the roles of the experienced prisoners (their identities of A and B could be interchangeable with alpha and beta males), eager to display their lofty position on the inmate totem-pole. Prisoner Dunlavin (Peadar Lafferty) is so long there he's beyond the masculine posturing. He and his buddy 'Neighbour' (Jim O'Neill) are eager to glean any small pleasures they can from this barren landscape. The delight they derive from squabbling over a bottle of methylated spirits whilst exploiting the good intentions of the benevolent Warder Regan (John McEvoy) was a brilliant, stand-out moment. Strangely it was this physical humour that drew the biggest laughs, in a script where Behan's warm lyrical dialogue dominates. Another highlight is provided by Ciaran Maguire playing the 'The Other Fellow' as a squirmy deviant, whose unspeakable crime (presumed to be homosexuality in the 1950s) is transformed into an act that a 21st century audience could genuinely regard as depraved. He's housed in the cell next to the indignant Dunlavin who laments "Give me a decent murderer rather than the Other Fellow." There are moments when Mickser (David Scanlon with the most convincing shiner) and Prisoner A (Byrne) attempt to inject malice into the otherwise benign inmates - a group more likely to be found propping up a bar or crumpling beaten dockets at a bookies than doing serious time. You can't help but imagine that if you had to serve a sentence, this wouldn't be the worst place to serve it - it's infinitely preferable to incarceration in Mountjoy nowadays. However since Behan was actually in Mountjoy back in the day, they must be accurate for their era. The final act allows the audience to peak at the breed of men behind the prison guard uniforms. It transpires the battles for authority within the staff echo those of the inmates. In an otherwise enjoyble play the only drawbacks are that the thick accents combined with the cavernous building's poor acoustics occasionally obstruct the dialogue, requiring active listening; and the level layout of the audience's chairs mean that unless you are at the front you miss out a little of Lafferty's performance in the second act (more reason to turn up early). Also, one authentic feature of a draughty prison provided by the former Celt print-works room is that it's not very warm - so wrap up. All that said, this production of The Quare Fellow will deliver an enjoyable night out. The current run continues on April 19-21. Tickets are available at The Crannóg Bookshop, Multisound and on the door.