TORCH Players bring their honed heft to Belltable again, staging George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Arms and the Man’ as the Spring show. Set aside a night from Tuesday February 26 into Saturday March 2 at 8pm and book while you can on venue manager www.limetreetheatre.ie
‘Arms and the Man’ is described by director Maurice O’Sullivan as “a delightful comedy with a dash of morality.”
His company did fine work with Somerset Maugham’s ‘The Constant Wife’ last year, with actor Joanne O’Brien accomplished and knowing in the title role.
‘Arms’ augers well for audience reward as specific cast members gather: Dan Mooney, Miriam Ball, Paddy Kelly. This tight ensemble aces a comedy script and is joined by the experienced Chris Rowley, Michelle O’Flanagan and a new name, Robert Hutchison.
Torch Players will be costumed by professional outfitters NOMAC and has top crew with Gerry Lombard, Pius McGrath, Tara Doolan and Sheenagh Murphy.
There’s a love triangle at the heart of this exotic dash set in late 19th century Bulgaria, then at war with Serbia. Two soldiers, Major Sergius Saranoff (Stewart Mackey) and Captain Bluntschli (“a chocolate cream soldier” – GBS) tug on Raina Petkoff who is affianced formally to Saranoff.
Arts Page caught up with the personable love interest Joanne O’Brien for her insights as to action. Satire is the genre.
“The Serbo-Bulgarian War is the historical template on which Shaw bases his production,” she says by way of context. “Like all plays of that era there are three acts and it takes place over three months.”
Gender influence and playful identities are constant tropes for Shaw. Joanne makes the point “that the men are at war but it is the women who know all the secrets. A secretive mission has been afoot and the whole thing is done by the women.”
Maurice O’Sullivan’s mission in working them damn hard – nine hours rehearsal weekly since Christmas and escalating – lends to depth of character. Petticoats apart, who is Raina?
“She has the undertone, this underlying thing of being pragmatic and realistic. For the first act of the show Raina is caught up in heroism, ideals, war, heroes – and they are all heroes.”
Then a runaway soldier for the Serbs, Captain Bluntschli/ Dan Mooney, shins up a drainpipe into her bedroom, a fugitive. There are surprises. “He is not Serbian, it just happens he is fighting in that army and he’s a very blunt, straightforward sort. What he thinks is what he says.
“Action is all under the Petkoff roof, moving from bedroom to the garden to the library over time.”
The activist playwright has lots of fun being facetious about war and fighting and the play gets physical. “A lot of things are unsaid as well…there is the ‘un-said’ funny.”
What Shaw had to say? “Soldiering, my dear madam, is the coward’s art of attacking mercilessly when you are strong, and keeping out of harm’s way when you are weak.”
