Submarine Man

On Saturday evening I took a trip to the local theatre in Blanchardstown, Draíocht, for the first time. The Upstate Theatre Project were putting on a performance of a play called ‘Submarine Man’. Knowing nothing about it but having been given free tickets by the lovely Nicola Murphy, the Marketing Press & PR Manager for Draíocht, as compensation for a slight mix up with the monthly e-zines, I decided to go along to check out the theatre for myself as much as the performance.

From the Draíocht website:

Captivated by the allure of the sea, man has always been intrigued by underwater exploration and the mysteries of the deep. The year is 1873. Dundalk-based, noviciate Christian Brother, John Philip Holland is obsessed with his design for a bizarre, submergible craft. His other obsession happens to be his house-keeper, Maggie B. Farrell. When Holland casts aside his cassock and follows his sweetheart to America, he soon finds himself caught up in the frantic, international race to tame ‘the Mistress of the Sea’. Infused with the inventiveness of the eccentric genius, this true-story drama tells the little-known tale of ‘the father of the modern submarine’ and one of Ireland’s greatest, unsung naval heroes.

Having no preconceptions and no expectations is often the best way to enjoy something new I find, and this was true of Saturday’s performance. Aside from the above information on the background story, I had no idea what to really expect from ‘Submarine Man’.

I certainly wasn’t expecting a love story crossing the Atlantic Ocean. I wasn’t expecting a most moving scene of a baby’s birth, so strong and emotional a scene that not a sound could be heard from the audience as they joined with Fenian and hard man John Breslin in silent prayer and pleading that the baby would take it’s first breath and cry out. Nor indeed was I expecting the hilarity of some parts of the story! Some of the funny lines included “you’ve a head on ya like a constipated hen”!

submarine-man-set

The setting on stage was very simple, starting out with an iron bathtub and a curtained screen. During the performance little else was added. Even simpler was the cast of three, who between them played a total of seven characters. All three gave energetic and wonderful performances, drawing me into each of the characters they played and bringing them to life.

Bryan Burroughs played the main man, John Philip Holland, who throughout his life veered from a man of God and of big dreams, gave up his studies to chase the woman he loved to New York, becoming her husband and settling for a more stable job to provide for his family. The submarine was his life’s work although it broke him in spirit too, especially during World War I when it was first used in warfare killing thousands, remarking sadly the day he first heard of 1400 men killed by a U boat to his wife “tonight is my sundown on ideas, Maggie”

Mairéad Cumiskey played Maggie B. Foley, Holland’s wife. Originally his housekeeper, she saw him nearing the completion of his studies to become a Christian Brother. Thinking all was lost and that he would never be hers, she took herself off to New York to start a new life. Of course he followed her, they married and had a family and she supported the living out of his dreams, unwavering in her determination that he should bring his fantasies of underwater travel to reality.

Karl Quinn, in my opinion did a fantastic job. He played five characters in total, each so very different from the last, at times barely changing before he was back on stage again. They were all of varying ages, nationalities, mannerisms, everything, I almost couldn’t believe that it was the same man on stage. His main characters were John Breslin, the Fenian and Charles Morris, an engineering foreman at the place Holland worked in New Jersey.

There was a great rapport between the three actors, which in a play relying solely on their acting skills rather than sets and lights and other characters, they would haev to be.

submarine-man-set_2

If you have any kind of passing interest in history and historical figures, in theatre or in comedy you will enjoy this play. It will be performed in the Civic Theatre in Tallaght from tonight for four nights, followed by one night each in Thurles, Castleblayney, Downpatrick and Lisburn. You can find further details of dates and venues here.

If you are in the vicinity of Draíocht (or even if you’re not!), I can highly recommend taking in a show. There are many interesting and varied things coming up over the next few months including comedy, ballet, opera and art exhibitions and I think a few of them will be going into my diary! You can check out the full Draíocht schedule here.