The Night Season (2015)

Poster by Lisa Thomas

by Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Directed by Lisa Thomas

Performances: Tue 7th – Sat 11th April 2015, Bell Theatre

Introduction

In County Sligo, old Lily has just a few months to live and Patrick, her son-in-law lives mostly in the local pub, while his three daughters, Judith, Rose and Maud are still reeling from their mother’s desertion more than 15 years previously. Yet the future holds promise – a handsome lodger (an actor playing the role of Yeats in a film being made nearby) offers joy and hope to two of the Kennedy women.

Elsewhere, for Patrick and another of his daughters, love arises from old and unexpected sources. Funny, rude and moving with plentiful Irish charm, the play wears its literary references lightly but has echoes of Yeats and Chekhov with a dash of Shakespeare and references to Fred Astaire and Marlene Dietrich, too.

Cast

• Lily O' Hanlon - Káit Feeney
• Patrick Kennedy - David Cox
• Judith Kennedy- Natalie Barker
• Rose Kennedy - Naomi Liddle
• Maud Kennedy- Elena Christie
• John Eastman- Jason Salmon
• Gary Malone - Simon Holland

Crew

• Assistant Director - Fiona Daffern
• Stage Manager - Siobhan Campbell
• Set Designer - Chaz Doyle
• Set Construction - Chaz Doyle, Graham Clements, Anton Krause, David Cox, Daniel Kelly, Mark Ireson, Jason Salmon, Bryon Fear, Carole Ironside, Lee Ridgeway & Simon Holland
• Set Painting - Carole Ironside
• Lighting & Sound Designer - Bob Callender
• Lighting & Sound Operator]] - Noah Wright

Reviews

Mark Ireson Thank you to Lisa and the cast and crew of The Night Season for letting me watch their dress rehearsal last night. I don't want to give any spoilers, just to say that the choice of Mary Coughlan's "Whiskey Didn't Kill The Pain" is the ideal music to set the scene for this poignant, well characterised production. There is also plenty of sex, drugs, tobacco, Yeats and dancing. Something for everyone, then, and I can't wait to see the list on the warning notices in the foyer... What can sometimes be dismissed as "domestic dramas" are the hardest to bring to life convincingly, but Lisa is lucky to have a strong cast - Naomi Liddle, Káit Ni Fhiannaidhe, Elena Christie, Jason Salmon , Simon Holland and Natalie Barker all work together well and get a great deal from their roles, but for me the most striking performance comes from David Cox, who just gets better with every play I see him in.

Well done to you all, and not forgetting Charles G. Doyle's mammoth intricate set, Carole Ironside's detailed nicotine stained set and Bob Callender's lighting and sound design. Have a splendid week, one and all.

If you haven't booked for this little gem already, get down to the box office as soon as you can.

Ruth Huggett My kind of play on at the SLT this week - funny poignant and very sweary! Good work Lisa Thomas and your fabulous cast and crew!

Charlotte Benstead The Night Season is a scorcher of a show - brilliant piece expertly put together and performed - well done all. SLTers you need to see this production ! Book it now.

Catherine Ellis Raku-Evans Yes - what she said! It's very engaging and really funny. What a great show. Well done everyone involved. A wonderful, company piece. Thoroughly recommend.

Christine Theophilus Yes, it was a great show. And the set is brilliant, especially the, er sleeping arrangements. Great performances, and lovely accents. Oh and a lot of drinking........ Enjoy the rest of the run, chaps.

Carole Coyne Very strong performances from the whole cast. It is a gem of a play which kept the audience thoroughly engaged and chuckling. Brilliant set and excellent lighting too.

Audrey Lindsay It was fabulous in every way. Even though I was trying not to breathe in during the smoky scenes... Good luck for the rest of the run Team Night Season, its so great to be a member of a theatre company which produces work like this x

Bryon Fear Really enjoyed Night Season last night... can't recommend it enough. Strong performances in a charming, funny and moving play. Go see it if you can!

Eddie Coleman Well done to cast and crew (directors, backstage et al) for an excellent production of The Night Season. Really enjoyed it but wasn't able to stay behind to say well done to you as it finished at 22.45 and I needed to catch my train. Hope you have excellent houses for the next three nights and may your lungs forgive you for all that cigarette smoking you do ha ha. Best wishes. Eddie.

Gallery

The below is a captioned selection. All are copyright Phil Gammon.

Reminiscences and Anecdotes

Simon Holland (Gary) has been prepared to appear in nine of the productions I have directed from a first outing as Raleigh in Journey's End (2000), Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (2001), Habeas Corpus (2002), The National Health (2003), the Edinburgh production of a grim version of Frankenstein (2004) and for SLT, Private Hurst in Serjeant Musgrave's Dance (2006), Stanley in The Birthday Party (2009), Mitia in Burnt By The Sun (2010), and Gary in The Night Season (2015).

See Also

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Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.

External Links

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