The Stage

Mrs Brown’s Last Wedding

Published Friday 19 March 2004 at 15:05 by Lew Baxter

Smash hits that they might well be, but there is little attempt to disguise the fact that his trilogy of Agnes Brown plays are merely a platform to transport Brendan O’Carroll’s anarchic, surreal sense of humour. This was the first of the three, which knocked the Irish for six and left Liverpool audiences gagging for more, breaking box office records at the Royal Court Theatre. However, in truth the audience was a tad sparser in Manchester and while the rat-a-tat patter left many in tucks, there were some folk clearly not persuaded that O’Carroll’s often richly comic interpretation of Irish family life rang a bell for them.

Even so, it is staged at a ferocious pace although it might be argued that the Irish comic’s dialogue and plot might benefit from direction by a third party, his own hefty hand very much apparent with his alter ego Agnes Brown dominating the action. The witty asides, jokes and jibes are often searingly funny but whenever O’Carroll leaves the stage - ever so briefly it must be stressed - the whole shebang falls somewhat flat. And he does save the best lines for himself.

Despite this, the cast throw themselves into the roles with gusto, in particular Pat Sheilds is glorious as the camp and gay Rory Brown, seeking the right moment to reveal his secret to the Mammy. There is a play in its own right lurking therein. Yet Danny O’Carroll’s Trevor Brown - the groom of the Last Wedding - is not allowed the space to develop the part, which has tremendous potential - and, like Jennifer Gibney’s lively Cathy Brown, the sister, O’Carroll uses the character more as a glue for the central role of Agnes.

There is little doubt that O’Carroll captures the madcap essence of working-class Irish domesticity yet the scenes - even the stag and hen parties - could do with more flesh on the bare bones of the comedian’s gags.