Theatre review: An accent that rattles
Emmet Kirwan brings 'Accents' back to The Everyman for two nights only.
There’s always something a little jarring about a state-funded play, which aims potshots at the very organisation, without whose financial support, it probably wouldn’t have come into existence to begin with.
If you think about it, why would The Arts Council in Ireland (“the Irish government agency for developing the arts”) sanction the production of a show, which savagely critiques the living conditions created by successive government’s neoliberal policies?
While this is not the only question that comes to mind after seeing Emmet Kirwan’s show ‘Accents’, it is certainly one which perhaps ought to be reflected upon most carefully, as it is the cornerstone of how one might view this entire production.
On stage for just over an hour and flanked by two very talented musicians in Ben Bix and Brian Dillion, Kirwan tears through eight spoken word poems, which deal with, among other things, the recent birth of his son, his own family history, the love he feels for his wife and the far reaching impact of social housing -and a decades old accommodation crisis - on all of these issues.
Kirwan is, throughout, affable and engaging, decked out in a distinctive uniform of jeans, runners, and a zip-up top, which perhaps acts as a further provocation to the audience. It raises the question: is it possible to take a grown man seriously when he discusses crucial topics that affect us all, while speaking with a strong Tallaght accent and dressed like a teenager.
Under the guidance of Clare O’Reilly as director, Kirwan is hyper-aware of all aspects of his performance: his posture, his appearance, his mannerisms, and, above all else, he understands that an accent can do many things. Whether we like it or not, everyone has one. He is also cognisant that, whether it’s authentic or put on, an accent can reveal a lot of information about a person and even conceal much more. But this always rests on the shoulders of those making a character judgment based solely on the sound of another person’s voice.
Every so often, Kirwan would drop an ear-catching phrase into one of his poems, like ‘transmigration of ancestry’, which, although it might sound quite profound, doesn’t really make much sense and might have caused the viewer to be taken out of the flow of the piece if dwelt on for too long.
The delivery of his poems, however, is impressive, but there were times when the music increased in volume a notch or two too far, making it impossible to understand what he was saying. As a result, the audience are left waiting, frustratingly, for things to quieten down again to get back into the story.
Interspersed between these poems was some pleasant audience interaction, as well as a few socialist wet-dream suggestions as to how the housing situation in this country could be improved (the ‘Vienna model’’), much to the delight of those in attendance, none of whom, presumably, were landlords having their midweek night out at the theatre ruined by the upstart on stage
Finally, it was an emotional night for many in the audience in The Everyman, as the music written for this piece was by the late Eoin French (Talos), who performed on stage in the original production of this show. With a lot of French’s family and friends present, Kirwan dedicated the performance to his memory and his significant musical and artistic contributions.
‘Accents’ by Emmet Kirwan has one last showing tonight, February 19 in the Everyman Theatre. Performance starts at 8pm, tickets on sale here
