Committed @ The Lantern

Review by Martin Poile | 10 Dec 2014

Tackling the controversial topic of the IRA in 1993 is no mean feat. Just ask writer Stephen Smith, whose new play, Committed, was considered too radical for West Belfast. The story tells of Dan McCrory, a republican ex-prisoner who's sent to organise the people against a plague of petty crime affecting the Belfast streets. The ‘Concerned Residents Committee’ becomes judge and jury in a place and time where the police are not welcome.

Director Sarah Van Parys (a graduate of the Everyman Playhouse Young Directors scheme) plays with some experimental staging styles and an inventive use of mirroring is certainly one experiment that pays off. Making use of a simple, understated set, slick scene changes are performed seamlessly by the cast, ensuring that the pace of the production stays up to speed with its blistering subject matter.

Too many little mistakes pepper the opening night of this production, however: line slips and some questionable accents constantly distract from the serious subject matter. But our attention was confidently held throughout the more tense moments of dramatic action. During a scene in which two committee members intimidate a troublemaking youth (played by Darren Begley), the tension was palpable; the audience share an edge-of-your-seat moment.

Bookended by a baby crying and gun shots, it is the humanity of the story that drives Committed. The stand-out performances coming from Geraldine Moloney Judge, whose multi-roling between a distraught mother and a bumbling committee member combine heartbreak with humour in one brushstroke. Darren Begley also flits effortlessly between the thuggish and despairing contradictions of his complex character.

The inspired staging and some fine performances are instrumental to this production’s muted success. With a little more preparation, this play could well reach the heights promised by its illicit reputation.

Ran 18-19 Nov http://lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk/events/committed/