ULSTER AMERICAN
by David Ireland
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
Featuring Matthew Broderick
Irish Rep
Reviewed by David Spencer
Ulster American by the conveniently named David Ireland is an ever-darker comedy about an encounter between three showbiz folks. The setting is the living room in the London house of the first, Leigh (Max Baker), a renowned stage West End director, but not so renowned that his instinct isn’t to tiptoe around the somewhat dim, politically-socially incorrect American movie star, Jay (Matthew Broderick) who has agreed to headline his next project—which is by the late-arriving playwright, Ruth (Geraldine Hughes), who is Irish of accent but, as a native of Belfast, virulently identifies as British. Which surprises Jay and which Leigh rejects, making the encounter more charged, for that’s at the heart of her very political play.
David Ireland’s play pulls off a neat and not-easy trick. For the audience member reflexively attuned to underlying themes and dramatic metaphors—small onstage equivalents of large world issues—you start to see where it’s going fairly quickly. There’s even a prop introduced—not a weapon—that aids in the telegraphing, because it resonates with Chekhov’s dictum that you don’t bring a gun onstage unless it will eventually be fired. The math can be easily intuited; the suspense comes from how the details fulfill the equation. And yet…for those happy to just take the narrative ride, it won’t be that predictable, except perhaps in retrospect.
The trio of actors deliver an ensemble tour de force and their three wildly contrasting styles are expertly managed and balanced by director Ciaran O’Reiley. Recommended.