Meeting At Menin Gate: A Play Of Two Halves

Guest writer, poet and playwright Beano Niblock from the loyalist community with a review of Martin Lynch's latest play.

Menin Gate Memorial

To me, the arrival of a new Martin Lynch play is always worth waiting on. On very few occasions over this past number of years have I been let down. He has, in my opinion a wonderful ability to tell a story and manage to include all the essential ingredients to make it accessible to the majority of theatre goers.

His forte to me is injecting drama with humour—something of a trade mark. But while there was some light hearted moments in this piece they were few and far between. Although on the night I attended some of the audience found plenty to laugh at in the second half - much to my own personal bemusement. I feel the laughter was badly misplaced and totally misjudged.

Martin has attempted to construct a potent story here from am extremely difficult subject - an emotive issue in Northern Ireland that, to date has been very much shied away from, and so could hold very little source material for him to work off.

Liz is a forty something Trade Union representative with a Paul Weller fixation. She is the daughter of a former RUC man who was shot dead by the IRA in 1981. From Liz we find out that he was an ordinary person who loved nothing more than to sing Leonard Cohen songs and strum his guitar. Although there were suspects in the subsequent murder investigation no one was ever charged or convicted.

Terry is a guy in his mid fifties and a former Provisional IRA prisoner having served a life sentence for his part in the killing of two soldiers in the early eighties. Since his release he has led a non eventful life and currently works as a barman in a West Belfast club. We learn of how he has changed through his assertions that he has a great interest in Art and his wish to “live life like Frank Sinatra”.

Both main protagonists are co-opted on to a cross community trip to the Battlefields of France and Belgium through friends - great support here from the ubiquitous Marty Maguire and the hugely entertaining Maria Connolly - who are involved in the Flanders Society. By all accounts it sounds like it could be a right old knees up and booze filled jolly.

The first half of the play - whilst quite long—was riveting and produced some of the best dialogue that Lynch has ever penned. The script was brought to life by two fantastic performances. Jimmy Doran - as Terry - rarely disappoints and here in was in top form giving a very low key, laid back performance which is in stark contrast to recent performances such as Brothers in Arms, Dockers or The Christening.

Andrea Irvine was a revelation as Liz. It is the first time I have seen her on stage and she played the part just right. It’s a testimony to the writing, direction and acting that the on stage chemistry between Doran and Irvine was palpable. The set too played a big part in this regard - a simple setting of chairs set a few yards apart but with the unmistakeable silhouette of the Menin Gate in the background. The rapport between Liz and Terry had the audience looking forward to the second half but by this stage we were also made aware that Liz’s new found feelings for her unlikely new friend - and lover, we learn - were not all admirable.

The setting changed for the second half - a cosy looking hotel room - somewhere in Ypres - or as Terry says - Wipers. The stage looked set for a romantic interlude between Terry and Liz - she with her bottle of Jamesons and he with a large glass of wine. What we received however was far from romantic - unless you are an erstwhile follower of the Marquis de Sade.

What followed is difficult to label in regard to theatre—was it meant to be a comedy?—there were many laughs but many of a nervous variety because people didn’t know what else they should have done. To me it turned into more of a farce - replete with de-bagging, drink spiking - and over the top torture, all more akin to the plot out of a Tom Sharpe novel. In setting out to get Terry to admit to his involvement in her father’s murder Liz was transformed from a coy, easy going civil servant into a vengeful and murderous demon, and Terry, from a confident and somewhat cocky barman to a snivelling and spineless wreck. Understandable I suppose, when you have a maniac - part fuelled by ample amounts of Jamesons whiskey - applying a staple gun, a plank of wood, a pair of pliers and a set of hair straighteners to his nether regions.

Meeting at Menin Gate was enjoyable and infuriating - confusing - in turns. It is a long time since I witnessed writing of this calibre in a local theatre - in the first half. But equally it is difficult to recall a play that had me scratching my head so much, wondering exactly how the second half tied in with the first. I was immersed in part one - totally loved it, but spent the latter part of the evening trying to work out what exactly was going on. So much so, that I had the notion that I was actually watching two separate plays about a related subject. An audience member sitting beside me made the remark that to her it was a Mave Binchy first half - and David Cronenberg second!!

Full marks to Martin Lynch for tackling the victim/offender/perpetrator scenario - an unenviable task given the divisiveness and furore it causes here at present. Research into the subject would have been difficult and there would, I imagine, an unwillingness from those who are classed as perpetrators to embrace a project like this.

I believe that Lynch has managed to play this drama very even handedly and I personally took out of it a message that showed that even the most mild mannered of individuals can change according to prevailing circumstances. The ending was quite ambiguous - but again I believe intentionally so. Perhaps the fact that there was an unsatisfactory ending mirrors the present feelings around the whole victimhood debate.