Theatre Review: The Cripple of Inishmaan

“I shouldn’t laugh at ya Billy…but I will”

Daniel Radcliffe, still only a sprightly 23 years old, takes to the stage again this summer as the title role in The Cripple of Inishmaan. Part of the Michael Grandage season at The Noel Coward Theatre, it’s a funny, strange, odd little play from writer Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths).

Set on the tiny Aran Islands in the community of Inishmaan off the West Coast of Ireland, we meet the locals amidst their excitement about the arrival of a crew from Hollywood on the neighbouring island, who are there making a documentary about life on the islands.

In comes ‘Cripple Billy’, (played by Radcliffe) who lives with his two spinster aunts and spends most of his days either reading books, being ridiculed by the locals or staring at cows. Billy hears about the film and sees it as his one chance to get away from Ireland and the misery it holds for him as an outcast and an orphan.

The ensemble acting is very impressive. McDonagh is known for his quick witted dialogue and true Irish black comedy, of which there is definitely plenty in this play – especially between the scenes with girl-about-town Helen McCormick (acted with real punch by Sarah Greene) and her cheeky, slightly simple brother Bartley McCormick (played by Conor MacNeill) and his obsession with American sweeties. However, some scenes seem too laboured on the dialogue and repetitive exhanges, such as the long, droll exchanges between the aunts.

Above: Ingrid Craigie (played by Kate Osbourne) and Gillian Hanna (played by Eileen Osbourne)

Radcliffe’s gone out on a ‘limp’ with this role, following his equally brave turn in his Equus stage debut in 2012, playing the role with real conviction and raw passion. As a disfigured character, his gait and physicality of little ‘cripple Billy’ is genuinely spot on (it’s not easy to sit with your leg at a 90 degree angle for over 20 minutes) and his Northern Irish accent’s impressive. For any ardent Radcliffe fans, similarities can certainly be drawn between the character of Billy and Harry Potter – he too is an outcast, thrust into a more adult world and rises to ‘fame’ within it, not knowing whether this is necessarily a good or a bad thing.

The set design is evocative and different scenes are depicted to detailed perfection via a revolving door-type mechanism that keeps the interest of the audience in some of the more repetitive scenes, bringing the grey Irish landscape easily to the fore. The bleakness to the set reminded me of a Father Ted episode, especially the dialogue scenes between the local gossip and jester Johnnypateenmike (played by Pat Shortt), and his 94-year-old alcoholic Mammy who cannot stand eachother  (played convincingly by June Watson) – making for a genius comic double act.

Overall, this is a well acted play that delivers brilliant performances – but it’s the play itself that lets it down. Usually, I’m a huge fan of McDonagh; I LOVED In Bruges and guffawed my way through Seven Psychopaths, but somehow I feel his plays don’t live up to his films – I was left wanting as the curtain closed.

McDonagh’s been criticised before for going over-the-top with negative Irish stereotypes as characters but sometimes in the theatre I don’t think there is anything wrong with this – exagerration usually makes for great comic moments. The Cripple of Inishmaan will not please these critics however, as it doesn’t appear to look on the Irish favourably – most of the cast are violent, racist, alcoholic bigots, and after thinking on whether there was a point to these caricatures and what the message of the play actually was, I’m not entirely sure there is one after all.

If you’re a fan of Daniel Radcliffe or Martin McDonagh’s work, you should go and see this play if not to make up your own mind. It’s playing at The Noel Coward Theatre until 31 August and tickets are selling fast! You can get them via any west End ticket seller or via this link HERE.

I’ve also got tickets to see Jude Law strut his stuff as Henry V later in the year as part of the same Michael Grandage season so will be interesting to see how they compare. Let me know what you think if you watch the play!

LMNH x