Sweet Bird Of Youth

By Tennesse Williams, directed by Tim McDonnell and starring Anthony Fox, Maria Hayden, Patrick Joseph Byrnes. Liberty Hall Theatre until September 27

The themes inherent in Tennessee Williams 1959 play set in America's Deep South are certainly relevant to the world we live in today. Political corruption, racism & the obsession with youth and good looks still generate numerous headlines. In examining the stories therein, we frequently discover the insatiable need that some have for power and invincibility.

Surprisingly, the New Theatre's Production of Sweet Bird Of Youth is an Irish Premiere. Perhaps its arrival is better late than ever when you consider the myriad of tribunals, a less than favourable attitude amongst some towards immigrants and the increasing opportunities for those who wish to delay the ageing process.

Whether Williams constructs his story to good effect is open to debate. Inevitable comparisons will be made with Cat On A Hot Tin Roof & And A Streetcar Named Desire. Nevertheless, Sweet Bird' brings together an interesting array of characters who occupy a world that is perilously close to collapse. Their efforts to retrieve the situation are doomed from the outset, because of the inability to accept that time moves on and, that on occasions, the sins of the past are not easily forgiven.

Chance Wayne (Anthony Fox) is an ageing gigolo who returns home to St Cloud. In the company of a washed up actress Alexandra del Lago (Maria Hayden) he takes up residence in a local hotel. Chance has his sights set on a career in Hollywood and he hopes that Alexandra's influence will enable him and his former lover Heavenly (Elaine Jordan) take those first steps to stardom.

However the abysmal failure of Alexandra's latest cinematic offering has left her beaten. She seeks solace through a mire of booze and the company of a younger man in a pathetic effort to make her feel 'young' again. She sees herself as the only 'star' in the relationship and is totally oblivious to Chance's requests.

The other difficulty for the Chance is that he is not welcome in St Cloud. His previous involvement with Heavenly left her with venereal disease. She had her womb removed and is now a pale shadow of her former self. Her father Boss Finlay (Patrick Joseph Byrnes) is the local Mr Big & is intent on revenging the misfortune inflicted on his sweetheart. Finlay represents the worst vestiges of white power amongst the struggle for civil rights.

He is totally corrupt, bigoted, and is no way tolerant of those who oppose his views. The castration of a black man by racist thugs is not meet with horror by the Boss, but is viewed as a way of dealing with Chance if he does not get out of town. There are many who would be willing to carry out the deed and would not question the nature of their actions.

Director Tim McDonnell and his cast present a solid, if somewhat less than compelling production. Credit, however, must be given to the troupe for taking the project on. Sweet Bird Of Youth is bleak, and contains some unpleasant moments. A cast of twenty three and a running time of over three hours add to the weighty nature of the undertaking.

In terms of performance, the actors perform admirably, but there is the overriding feeling that McDonnell could have got more out of the ensemble, especially the three main characters. Anthony Fox & Maria Hayden failed to convey the necessary sexual tension in their relationship, and so we were denied the heightened sense of frustration attributable to both characters.

Also, the first act in the hotel room had the tendency to drag. Indeed there was a problem with pacing throughout the play, which probably contributed to the overly long running time. Thankfully Fox & Hayden settled more into their roles in act two, with Fox particularly effective in the bar scene.

Patrick Joseph Byrnes as Boss Finlay needed to be more menacing in the role, and perhaps lacked the physicality to effectively play such an imposing figure. In the minor parts, Siobhan Chambers as the Boss's mistress Miss Lucy, Jason Gilroy as the revengeful brother Tom Junior and Arthur Kearns as Dr George Scudder made the best of their parts.

James McMahon