Now yer talkin! Standing ovation for MEM Players
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The cast of ‘Nobody’s Talking to Me’, who received a standing ovation from the packed audience on their opening night, from left, Antoinette Connell, Liam Glynn, Brendan ‘Tosh’ Kiernan, Claire Ross, Joe O’Hehir, Aidan O’Rourke, Bernie McHugh and Cathy Dillon.Image 2 of 2
Members of ‘Milltown Carollers’ who, led by Moira Fraser on keyboard, entertained the audiences at the interval at this year’s MEM Players performances in Milltown community centre, from left, Mary Lynn, Geraldine Kennedy, Angela Cahalin, Niamh McGuinness, Michael Kiernan, Brian Kinsella, Michael Eivers, Stephen Cahalin, Carmel Somers, Claire Donoghue, Mai Flanagan, Betty Murtagh, Phil Jackson and Margaret Igoe.MEM Players received a standing ovation from the packed house at the opening night of their two-act comedy, Nobody’s Talking to Me, in Milltown community centre last Thursday. Peppered with loads of one-liners delivered with aplomb on an amazing set, the show was undoubtedly one of the best staged by this seasoned drama group.
Cathy Dillon and Brendan ‘Tosh’ Kiernan played the lead roles and complemented each other, delivering witty rejoinders with split-second accuracy, Cathy managing to do so while knitting for most of the time.
Bernie McHugh played the dipso/hypochondriac sister/sister-in-law, and Aidan O’Rourke the ditzy prospective son-in-law, both giving dynamic and emphatic performances.
Claire Ross played her part as the daughter of the house with incredible poise and self-possession, and Joe O’Hehir as the bewildered Fr O’Toole was hilarious. Liam Glynn played the lovelorn Luke with passion, and Antoinette Connell added comic relief with her incursions into the Conway’s kitchen with updates on her father’s wake.
The acting was superb, but so too were the set and the sound effects, particularly the loud ticking of the clock which emphasised the long silences as the main antagonists maintained their campaign of not talking to each other for years.
The action took place in the Conways’ kitchen in the late 1906s, early 1970s. There was the Sacred Heart picture and pictures of JF Kennedy and the Pope, the ubiquitous dresser and range, and the milk and water pails.
A feature of the set was its solidity. There was nothing flimsy about it. It was the work of Tom Lynn and Ciaran Finerty, along with the design crew – Shauna and Leeanne Dillon, and Amy, Breda and Aoife Ballesty, who also designed the front foyer.
The play was written by Tommy Marren and directed by Paul Curley. Production managers were Mary Cregg and Mary Lynn. Stage manager was Shauna Dillon and Aoife Ballesty was front of house manager. Ray McDonnell was on lighting, Kevin Matthews on sound, and Ollie Gallagher was videographer.
Costume, hair and make-up were by Aisling Finerty, Fiona McKeon, Mary Cregg, Lisa Somers, Paula Nooney and Emma Dillon. Brendan O’Rourke, caricature artist, and Vambeck Signs looked after the posters, tickets and community boards design, while Fagan Print and Design took care of that area, and Shauna and Leeanne Dillon the social media platforms.
MC was Geraldine Kennedy, ticket administrators were Margaret Igoe and Inez Kenny, and door attendants were Pat Heduan and Kit Newman. The shop was run by Anne Heduan and Renee Doolin-Dillon and crew, and Carmel Somers and crew looked after the catering.
Aoife Ballesty and crew acted as ushers and programme distributors while Marie Murtagh and crew were in charge of raffle ticket sales. Car park attendants were Michael Kiernan and Paddy Gavigan Senior, and crew, and Mick Eivers and Pat Igoe were in charge of external equipment and advertising boards.
A special feature of this year’s performances was the ‘Milltown Carollers’, led by Moira Fraser on keyboard, who entertained the audiences with a rendition of Christmas songs and carols during the interval. It was clear the cast enjoyed the play as much as the audience as they bounded back on stage for their curtain call and well-deserved standing ovation. The play ran for three nights.