Chronicles of Long Kesh

Set against the Troubles in Northern Ireland, this engrossing production looks at the population of the notorious prison Long Kesh during the seventies and eighties, from the contentious internment policy to the hunger strikes and beyond.

Martin Lynch’s main protagonist is the pale, earnest and rather tremulous prison officer Freddie, played by Billy Clarke, whose main concern is to earn enough money to raise his family. As narrator, Freddie introduces the various characters embroiled in Long Kesh, from the IRA and Loyalist prisoners, to long-suffering family members and the prison officers or "screws".

A multi-talented ensemble cast play a variety of roles, and demonstrate admirable versatility, in particular Jo Donnelly, who takes on the roles of all the wives and several male characters extremely convincingly. Marc O’Shea is disarming as the naive Toots, and repellent as a brutal prison officer, while Marty Maguire puts in a show-stealing turn as the Smokey Robinson fanatic Oscar.

Not only does Lynch’s script rattle along at a good pace, but, thanks to expert direction and slick choreography, the stage is constantly energised, with the cast quickly manipulating only six large wooden blocks to effect rapid scene changes. The two hours – long for a fringe production – race by, aided by the Motown tunes that the cast intermittently break into, raising the energy and making the dark history of Long Kesh highly, and surprisingly, entertaining.

In fact, the only drawback is that this production comes uncomfortably close at times to presenting the population of Long Kesh as a crowd of cheeky soul-singing rascals. That said, it's extremely enjoyable to watch.