{"id":2430,"date":"2013-10-03T09:42:47","date_gmt":"2013-10-03T08:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=2430"},"modified":"2013-10-03T09:46:50","modified_gmt":"2013-10-03T08:46:50","slug":"man-in-the-moon-a-review-by-billyjoe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=2430","title":{"rendered":"Man In The Moon: A Review by Billy Joe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Man In The Moon:A Review by Billy Joe<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Suicide isn\u2019t an easy subject to tackle at any time and one that playwrights might tend to shy away from.\u00a0 Pearse Elliott<\/strong> obviously felt strongly enough about the impact suicide has had on society here\u2014particularly in his native West Belfast \u2013to pen Man In The Moon.\u00a0 In dealing with the issues Elliott has written a sharp\u2014at times manic-comedy that while making us roar with laughter can also stop us dead in our tracks when confronted with the reality of the matter.
\nThe teaming of Elliott and star of this one man show\u2014the wonderful Ciaran Nolan<\/strong>\u2014is nothing new.\u00a0 Previously they collaborated for television with Pulling Moves and on stage with The Christening\u2014and here they have teamed up with Tony Devlin<\/strong> and Brassneck<\/strong> to produce a very deserving piece of theatre.\u00a0 Nolan is currently getting plenty of exposure on stage and quite rightly so\u2014he is a rising star with a penchant for comedy.\u00a0 Elliott needs no introduction and is the master of West Belfast vernacular and idiom.\u00a0 Bravely he treats a serious subject with dark humour and works to great effect.\u00a0 Throughout the two hour play we are treated to a series of set pieces and vignettes relating to those friends of Sean Dolan\u2019s\u2014Nolan\u2014who have shared his life\u2014and died\u2014many by their own hand.
\nHalf Moon Lake is an oasis of sorts set improbably in Lenadoon and the playground of Sean Doran and his childhood friends\u2014and two brothers.\u00a0 We first meet Sean coming back to the lake now in adulthood to reminisce and recall those halcyon days shortly after a break up with his girlfriend\u2014who takes their baby girl with her\u2014and in the wake of losing his job which was trying to find a sponsor for one eyed and one armed Ugandan war child!!\u00a0 Over the next couple of hours Sean tries to make sense of his life to date\u2014to find the reasons why so many of his former friends and relatives have succumbed to \u201cthe monster\u201d.
\n\"\"<\/a>At times the play is hilarious\u2014at others very moving, loaded with pathos, but is always thoughtful.\u00a0 During any Pearse Elliott play you will be guaranteed laughs\u2014or as Sean Doran would put it\u2014All Day Long\u2014and here he doesn\u2019t disappoint.\u00a0 Whether it is the appearance of Sean at the \u201cwrong wake\u201d\u2014his feeble attempt at internet dating or the escapade around the sale of 200 pallets laughs aren\u2019t difficult to find.\u00a0 And on a personal note, the title is a great excuse to have REM\u2019s Man On The Moon as part of a great soundtrack. \u00a0\u00a0I believe Elliott has struck gold in using comedy as the vehicle to carry the serious subject matter and Nolan was an inspired choice as Sean Doran.\u00a0 He expertly plays the nonchalant, jack-the-lad type but also has the ability to show himself as a caring and thoughtful survivor.\u00a0 Ultimately, in the glow of the Half Moon Lake, this is what the play is really about\u2014survival.
\nMan in the Moon finishes its run in the Grand Opera House this Saturday before going on a run to different theatres throughout Northern Ireland during the rest of October.\u00a0 Catch it if you can.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/brassneck.eventbrite.co.uk\/<\/cite>\u200e<\/p>\n

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