Stone laughs

Two men, 15 characters, an American dream and the luck of the Irish make Stones in his Pockets a play not to be missed, according to critics.

The award-winning, hilarious and sometimes poignant tale of a quiet Irish community, Stones in his Pockets could not have won more awards if it tried.

Winner of the prestigious Olivier and Evening Standard awards for Best Comedy after running for four record-breaking years in London's West End, it also ran on Broadway, where it received a Tony Award nomination for Best Comedy.

And best of all, it's coming to Dubai from March 12 to 15 at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, Mall of the Emirates, thanks to the cast and crew at UK-based Popular Productions.

Triumph
The entire story is brought to life by two highly talented actors who play over 15 characters between them in a triumph of characterisation and physical comedy.

From the two cheeky Irish lads intent on becoming big movie players to the diva lead Hollywood actress, Stones In His Pockets is often described as one of the funniest and most moving plays of its time.

Director John Payton explains where the comedy lies. Looking forward to the shows in Dubai, he said: "The show is universally loved by all who see it due to a disarming simplistic charm all of its own.

"The comedy is mainly found in the muddle of offbeat and outlandish characters: Caroline Giovanni, the glamorous movie star who has an eye for the 'natives'; Old Mickey, the only surviving extra from The Quiet Man who almost dies of a heart attack at the thought of attending a funeral where no beverages will be available; Simon the First Assistant Director whose authority is always being undermined, although unintentionally, by Aisling, his flirtatious Production Assistant.

Finesse
"It just shouldn't be missed."

The boys play Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn with exceptional finesse. Without the aid of costumes or props, they transform from one character to another with a simple change of voice, facial expression and posture.

Meet the author
Marie Jones was born in Belfast in 1951. She was one of the founders of the Charabanc Theatre Company, which was founded to counteract the lack of roles for women, and which produced a series of collaboratively written original works.

Contemporaneously, Marie Jones wrote five plays for The Replay Theatre Company, including Under Napoleon's Nose in 1988. She was one of the founders of Double Joint Theatre Company in 1991, for which she wrote a number of works, and was involved in the formation of a number of community theatre companies.

She has written a number of television plays for the BBC and Channel 4, including Tribes; Fighting the Shadows; Wingnut and the Sprog; and the adaptation of her play, The Hamster Wheel.

Meet the actors
Matt Addis plays Charlie: Trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, England, Matt made his West-End debut last year in Boeing-Boeing at the Comedy Theatre. He will be seen on screen this summer as Prince Albert in Victoria's Men for Channel Four.

Nick Barclay plays Jake: Trained at Mountview also, Nick has appeared in more than 190 professional stage productions. Favourite parts have included Maxim de Winter in Rebecca, Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger, Milo in Sleuth and Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Meet the director
John Payton is a busy producer with his theatre company Popular Productions Ltd. Productions include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Neil Simon's They're Playing Our Song, John Godber's Teechers, The London revival of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Jermyn Street Theatre, West End and Dubai premiere) Misery (Kings Head Theatre, starring Michael Praed and Susan Penhaligon) and Look Back in Anger (Middle East Premiere, Madinat Theatre).

John has many years of experience teaching drama and musical theatre at many drama schools including five years as Resident Director at Songtime UK.

- Source: Popular Productions at www.stonesinhispockets.com

Don't miss it!
Stones in his Pockets will be staged tomorrow at 1pm and 8pm and on Thursday March 13 to Saturday March 15 at 8pm.

For tickets, priced Dh180 and Dh160, call the theatre box office on 04-3414777
Visit: www.stonesinhispockets.com

Meet the author
Marie Jones was born in Belfast in 1951. She was one of the founders of the Charabanc Theatre Company, which was founded to counteract the lack of roles for women, and which produced a series of collaboratively written original works.

Contemporaneously, Marie Jones wrote five plays for The Replay Theatre Company, including Under Napoleon's Nose in 1988. She was one of the founders of Double Joint Theatre Company in 1991, for which she wrote a number of works, and was involved in the formation of a number of community theatre companies.

She has written a number of television plays for the BBC and Channel 4, including Tribes; Fighting the Shadows; Wingnut and the Sprog; and the adaptation of her play, The Hamster Wheel.