In the late 19th century and early 20th century it’s estimated that 4.5 million Irish immigrants left their homes on the “emerald isle” and settled in America. They came looking for better jobs, more opportunity, and an escape from the devastating Irish potato famine. Today that means 32 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, and heritage tourism — courting those long-lost sons and daughters of Hibernia to come back to the magical, shamrock-green land of poetry, pubs, céili dancing, and endearing accents — is one of Ireland’s major industries. As a nation we love the fantasy of the “auld sod,” which is used to sell everything from St. Patrick’s Day cards and whiskey, to cereal and soap. In short, keeping “Irish eyes smiling” is big business on both sides of the Atlantic.
This is the starting point for American Players Theatre’s final production of the 2022 season — Stones in His Pockets, by Marie Jones. The poignant play is a complex, artistically challenging, two-man show about an American film company that comes to Ireland’s County Kerry to make an earnest, charming, completely fictional costume drama called “The Quiet Valley.” While the cameras capitalize on the country’s legendary natural beauty, the movie’s script makes a mockery of Ireland’s history and makes caricatures of its residents, who have been hired as extras to fill in the crowd scenes. Over the course of the shoot, the film’s cast and crew don’t just ignore the modern economic and social problems of the region, they actively make things worse. But layered on top of this plotline is a fascinating study in storytelling — how powerful it is, how dangerous it can be, who drives the narrative, and how necessary it is to separate fact from fantasy.
Expertly helmed by director Tim Ocel, Stones in His Pockets also illustrates the wealth of talent possessed by two of APT’s Core Company actors — Nate Burger and Marcus Truschinski — who not only play more than a dozen characters, they create richly detailed scenes by employing mimed props, subtle accent changes, a turn of their caps, and the bouncing nods of their heads.
As the play opens on a mostly bare stage, Charlie (Burger) and Jake (Truschinski) are taking a break from their roles as extras and swapping stories about how they came to be background players for “40 quid a day” and all the craft services food they can eat. In a literal blink of an eye, they transform into a vain, insecure, American starlet; a perky if oblivious production assistant; an overworked and impatient assistant director; a troubled local teenager; a chatty octogenarian whose big claim to fame is being the last living extra from the John Wayne film The Quiet Man; and even a beefy Scottish bodyguard who will surely pummel anyone who bothers the film’s female lead. As fast as the characters come and go, the scenes switch from a makeshift dressing room, to a local pub, to a school room, to the starlet’s trailer, to a Catholic church, to a muddy turf field in front of a film set-ready manor house.
Following Burger and Truschinski through these lightning-fast transitions is as much fun as watching them imbue each character with a unique voice, walk, mannerisms, and point of view. Both actors make such precise, specific choices that there is never a moment of confusion — only delight in their expert craft, that they make look effortless. Be assured, it is not.
Burger’s turn as Caroline, the American actress who woos one of the locals so she can practice an Irish accent that she’s not talented enough to master, is particularly inspired. With a flip of his hand, the actress’s long tresses appear, and the look in her eyes is anything but sincere. A minute later the audience can almost see Burger’s blood pressure go up as the beleaguered assistant director, his shoulders in a permanent hunch, his voice an octave lower, pleading for cooperation from both the film’s bigwigs and the extras.
Truschinski is equally astonishing as an ambitious young production assistant who is constantly clapping her hands and chirping, “Settle! Settle!” until she has everyone’s attention. He then pivots to Sean, a drug addicted, depressed teen whose dreams of escaping Kerry for a cinematic version of America have imploded. Between these extremes, the actor is mesmerizing simply as his main character, Jake, who is more and more disillusioned as the play progresses. Haunted by the idea that he might have been a better friend and role model to Sean, Truschinski’s Jake seems to swallow a fog of sadness and regret that engulfs the town after a tragedy.
Like the actors’ meticulous work that suggests a full character but depends on the audience to fill in the gaps with their own imaginations, the ingenious set and lighting communicate volumes with minimal materials. Nathan Stuber’s scenic design includes a “blank” floor on the open stage that is composed of pieces of plywood, fit together like Tetris pieces. At a glance, they resemble a bird’s eye view of browned-over farm fields, either at the end of their season or suffering from drought — the very opposite of what one would expect from this verdant country. Similarly, a piece of wood hangs above the stage like a window, but one that is opaque — preventing views instead of allowing them. Jason Fassl’s lighting design floods the back wall of the theater with a jewel-toned blue sky floating above a swath of sumptuous, deep kelly-green, but only during scenes when the filmmakers’ cameras are rolling. When the director yells “cut!” the luxurious color immediately disappears.
Aside from the theatrical wizardry that brings the story to life, Stones in His Pockets is such an affecting piece because the script slyly subverts our expectations. There is lyrical poetry, a happy-go-lucky protagonist, belligerent fighting, folks drinking to excess, and traditional Celtic dancing in the play (jaunty choreography by Brian Cowing). But in each case, the context radically changes our feelings about the standard tropes.
American Players Theatre has produced a stellar season this year but this final production, Stones in His Pockets, may be the best yet. Alternatively hilarious and heartbreaking, this extraordinary play runs through Nov. 20 in the Touchstone. It is simply an evening of theater magic that is not to be missed.
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