Review: The Weir

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of The Weir.
Once again, I ended up at my local theatre, Richmond Theatre, to spend my Saturday afternoon watching the 20th anniversary production of Olivier Award winning play 'The Weir'. Apart from the fact that The Weir had won the Olivier Award for "Best New Play" in 1999, I entered the theatre with absolutely no knowledge of the play itself.

The Weir is set in a small country bar in rural Ireland, a place where local men are attempting to impress newcomer, Valerie, with stories about ghosts and angels. One by one, they present Valerie with spookish stories, all dealing with elements of the unknown. Little do they know though that Valerie has her own tale to tell, and her story is more real and upsetting than any of them could have imagined. The Weir is a shadowy tale which delves into the darkest corners of simple human lives. The play's structure consists of these characters sitting around the local bar discussing each story, using only their performances to try and help you imagine the story. It is very much a talk-based play, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but I found the subject matter of the show to be fairly interesting. The characters within the play are all unique, and the contrast between them made for a fascinating dynamic. Its clearly a very well written play and I'm confident in saying that Conor McPerson must be an extremely talented playwright.

The cast consists of only 5 cast members, and those actors are: Louis Dempsey, Sean Murray, John O'Dowd, Sam O'Mahony and Natalie Radial-Quirke. All 5 cast members were excellent and each complimented each other's talents nicely. They gelled well together as a group and had extraordinary chemistry. Each of the 5 actors individually brought something unique to the play and they were undeniably all phenomenal.

The set design which portrays the inside of a little village pub in Ireland was well crafted and very authentic. It had a lovely homely feel to it, which helped to create the countryside vibe to the play. Additionally, the lighting design was also very effective and the costume design was absolultey perfect for the setting and the time period.

The featured star of The Weir is, drum roll please... SEAN MURRAY

All 5 cast members were truly exceptional, and this was a fairly hard decision, but ultimately I had to give featured star to Sean Murray. Sean Murray portrays Jack, a mechanic and garage owner in his fifties. Murray was extremely believable in the role and it would be difficult not to sympathise with his character. It seemed to me that his character was the heart of the show, something which I accredit  to his acting skills.

Now for my final verdict on The Weir. I give The Weir...

As I previously mentioned, talk-based plays aren't always my preference , but I cannot deny that Conor McPerson is a brilliant writer. Therefore, I have chosen to award The Weir three stars!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer