Derry Boys at Theatre503
- AnxiousTheatregoer
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
An incredibly personal and bittersweet story that post-troubles kids know all too well.
Stepping into the recently refurbished Theatre 305, I was kindly greeted with two GAA jerseys hanging on the stairwell and light trad music around the front desk as I went to confirm my ticket. The theatre itself is small and up a set of old stairs, more stairs for the entrance.
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*
My Review:
This is a show telling a very specific story that to some may seem overdramatised to people but for me, this is a story I have seen in day-to-day life.
I knew this show was a very special piece at the line. “For as long as I have known my DNA has felt like it’s on fire”. In 28 years of a life lived in the complex nationality this show highlights so well, I have never found a quote that sums up my feelings so precisely.
The loved ones who have unspoken stories of confusing and unnecessary violence on the doorsteps of neighbours. Memories of being told not to associate yourself with someone across the road because they were a Protestant and you were not.
With an incredibly minimal set, the storytelling of this show is fully immersive, switching you from a London flat to a getaway car within a few graceful glides of the actors.
A scene that I feel can slip between the cracks of an English audience goer is the poppy petition. A symbol on this land that stands for freedom and respectfully remembering those who gave their lives holds the opposite meaning in parts of Northern Ireland. I personally grew up believing the poppy was a symbol of hate as it was worn by people on the side of town I was not allowed to set foot in on my own. The delivery of that fighting monologue, all to end with the whimper of “I just ended up not going”, still feels like such a common occurrence for Northern Irish people living in England.
A small moment that I found so impactful was the line “y'know I don’t think I’ve heard anyone call it Londonderry since Derry Girls came out”. The addressing of something as simple as a comedy show doing more for raising awareness for this divide than decades of news reports have is equal parts comedic and devastating.
The show does a fantastic job of setting up hope for the future and equally showing the reflection of how we are raised as an immovable obstacle placed on that hope.
As a person who lived in Derry long enough to see the steady rise of the New IRA make its way into the media, this show encapsulates the fear, anger and frustration of just wanting to live in a city of peace so perfectly.
If you’ve made it this far in my review and are unaware of how recently these kinds of attacks happen in Derry, please research the story of Lyra McKee, a journalist who while covering a police raid in Creggan, was shot when a member of the New IRA opened fire on the riot.
Moments of this show seemed to be straight out of a school diary of the early 2010s in Northern Ireland. The idea that everyone’s uncle knows how to make a car bomb just shows how normalised this terror still remained in a post-Good Friday Agreement world.
At its climax, I heard fellow audience members gasp at a gun being pulled on Paddy. It took until I left the theatre to realise my own reaction to this twist was a melancholic “of course the cycle continues”. For a brief moment, I was fooled into believing the same hope as our doomed protagonist.
In a silent final scene, an expected “I forgive you” is not uttered but heavily implied in my own viewing.
Catherine Rees plays Aoife with such a stunning and layered impact. In her, I see so many women I have known to be silent victims of the troubles. They do not make themselves known, instead being the pillars of families, the shoulders to cry on and the silent prayers at mass that make others feel safe to keep fighting.
In summary, this is a strong tear-jerker for those who have lived this story and a wonderful insight for those unaware of the recent history of the lands to the west. I cannot wait to see what every member of this team brings out next.
Content Warnings:
The content warnings for this show are openly available via a QR code and are as follows:
Flashing Lights
Gun/Gun Sound Effect
Strong Language
Sectarianism
Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)
- AnxiousTheatregoer
