The Good Thief
Director: Michael McCall
Holden Street Theatres, The Studio
Until Sun 9 March


Connor McPherson's 'The Good Thief 'is very much in the great tradition of Irish drama in the vein of Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood'. It has the poetry, drama and passion of the like, very deserving of the 2006 Tony Award nomination. McPherson's play is fabulous tale of a man's innocent falling into a series of situations that see him falsely accused of kidnap and murder.

But it's hard to see how the hour allotted to it can allow an actor to do it justice, and for that matter, a director block and pace it in a manner respecting and enhancing the many nuances in the writing - the play is just over-full in colour, action and detail.

Allan Girod as the unfortunate man works at a breath-taking pace, doing his utmost to cram into the hour so much it's hard to take it in with any sense of ease. He has great presence and his characterisation is spot on. But there's no time to stop or think, for Girod or the audience. This sees the production being pushed hard at one level, leaving the writing begging to be taken notice of, left behind in the effort to fill that hour.

David O'Brien