Two Irish Plays

London gave me two beautiful Irish playgoing treats last week ... Frank McGuinness's Gates of Gold was a touching tale of old love between two theatricals, modelled on the manager and leading actor of Dublin's Gate Theatre. William Gaunt's performance as Gabriel was one extended deathscene played to the Gods ... as in the top level of the theatre even though this one in the miniature space of Trafalgar Studio 2). Grand to have a story of a triumph of gay love. Michelle Fairley playing the nurse was a fine character to have on your side.
The run of The Seafarer at the National Theatre continues. Catch it. Conor McPherson's last play, Shining City, thrilled me at the Royal Court. Its flow of language was one factor, though it also managed to evoke that spine-chilling thrill of the supernatural. The Seafarer is a step beyond, an Irish Christmas tale that spins a simple tale of a visitor coming to a house where four alcoholics hang out, all playing a game of cards. Somehow the greatest human warmth is conjured through the evening, a triumph of goodness, utterly moving.