REVIEW: High Ridin’ at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington

High Ridin’ is the latest play by James Hogan on at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. Teenager Robbie travels to the North to find a job and a new life. Ex-bouncer Stan, just out of prison, gives him a lift. But not to the North. Instead, he takes charge and speeds off the motorway to a deserted house on the moors. But Ronnie doesn’t get exactly what he was looking for when he finds Stan has “More morals than Mary Poppins”.

The play itself is confused. I came away unsure as to what writer James Hogan wanted the audience to get out of it. The characters were relatable, with the scenes written naturalistically and having some very witty lines - most notably ‘“I got two GCSEs.” “What in? Wankin ‘n’ chillin?”’. However, when watching the play, it didn’t feel like there was much at stake nor much of a character arc, making the audience feel like we’ve not gone on enough of a journey. On top of this, the mini montage at the end sits uncomfortably with the naturalistic style of the rest of the play.

REVIEW: I am of Ireland at the Red lion Pub, Islington

Ireland throughout history has had a turbulent time and even now 20 years after the Good Friday agreement the discussion of Eire, Northern Ireland and their relationship with mainland UK remains a significant political debate. Seamus Finnegan’s new play takes WB Yates poem “I am of Ireland” as it’s starting point to explore the history of the last 100 years and the influences of religion and nationalism have had on the people of Ireland. It is clearly autobiographical in parts with characters based on school friends, his own education and left wing politics in Manchester and living as an exiled Irishman in England.

He explores the impact on the mainly men during the Troubles through six slowly played out situations into which he weaves the historical and religious changes. It is an intense, complicated puzzle to piece together which seeks to give us an understanding of the people today. During multiple scenes spread over two hours fifteen minutes (perhaps thirty minutes too long) we learn about: The 1916 Easter rising; 1964 Republic flag removed from a shop window: 1972 Bloody Sunday; 1981 Hunger strike deaths; The significance of the Milltown cemetery in the Falls road; the Casement Park killings and the influence of Roman Catholic and Protestant priests on the lives of the families we meet. As one character says “there is a lot of hate in Ireland” and another says “faith and understanding don’t sit together”. The story follows five men driven by interest in politics, religion, literature and girls and played by seven actors in over twenty parts across six story lines.