Simon Ward reviews What The Animals Say at the Finborough Theatre

Written in 2009, this is David Ireland’s first play and his trademark themes of how life in Northern Ireland is often absurd and frequently violent are already in evidence. So too is the outrageously hilarious dark humour which leavens the gloom. The playwright has had a long association with the Finborough, and it is a real pleasure to see his work performed in such an intimate venue. The pub downstairs is no longer, but in its place is a restaurant which is happy to provide pre- and post-theatre drinks and refreshments.

We open in the unlovely waiting room at Stranraer as Jimmy (Matthew Blaney) and Eddie (Robbie Martin) prepare to board the ferry back to Belfast. Acquaintances from schooldays, their paths in life could hardly have been more different. Whereas Eddie has made a career as a professional footballer, and is dressed accordingly in designer bling, struggling actor Jimmy is shabby and haunted, desperate to land a part in a movie due to be filmed in Belfast. It takes a while before they acknowledge each other – we suspect that Jimmy recognises Eddie but has no wish to engage. Jimmy is bookish and nervous, Eddie full of swagger and bravado. While both men live in Glasgow, Eddie has a comfortable home in an upmarket area and Jimmy is in a bedsit next to the Job Centre. They have nothing in common except their shared schooldays and their nationality.

The play is savagely funny. The two men banter back and forth but there is always a lurking undercurrent of menace. Both men are dissatisfied with their lot. For all his big talk, Eddie knows that playing football in Scotland is a backwards step, and it was a moment of madness that saw him sign for Celtic, as he sports a huge Rangers tattoo on his shoulder. He is even contemplating the ultimate admission of defeat – taking the money but losing all sporting credibility. Jimmy, on the other hand, has sacrificed everything to his dream of acting, but he knows that time is running out. And his last chance may just lie in a truly terrible Mel Gibson script about the Troubles. The two men despise each other but envy each other at the same time – Jimmy would love some of Eddie’s money and Eddie is jealous of Jimmy’s dedication to his craft, when he has long fallen out of love with football.

Director Harry Burton maintains the simmering tensions beautifully, and Blaney and Martin bring astutely detailed performances. Both characters are driven a bit mad by their situations – Belfast and Glasgow, football and acting, Protestant and Catholic, rich and poor – they all blend together in a putrid brew of rage and resentment that has to find some outlet. David Ireland has the extraordinary ability to find humour in the most mundane things, and to make even the most innocent lines sound threatening. His take on a topsy turvy world is always worth listening to, and this production does him proud.

What The Animals Say is running at the Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Rd, London SW10 9ED until Saturday 24th October