REMEMBER, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
The clock is ticking down to the Good Friday deadline and the tension surrounding the negotiations are brought to the Lyric stage in Agreement, written by Owen McCafferty.
25 years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and all the protagonists are on stage together – Gerry Adams, John Hume, David Trimble, Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair, Mo Mowlam and George Mitchell – adding to the claustrophobic atmosphere, as we eavesdrop on the various conversations as the issues are thrashed out but no-one has an overview of what is going on.
All the issues are here: Strand One, Strand Two, Articles Two & Three and prisoner releases. But it’s not a complicated storyline. Considering the weighty subjects being discussed this is one of the funniest plays I’ve seen. There are several laugh-out-loud moments as gallows humour breaks out amid the arguments and the frustrations that follow the characters as they try to make some sort of peace from our past.
Andrea Irvine as a frustrated Mo Mowlam
Stand-out performers include Andrea Irvine as Mo Mowlam, taking off her wig and wandering from room to room in her sock soles trying to push the negotiations along. Distrusted by Trimble who believes she is too close to republicans, her role is overshadowed to her frustration by the arrival of Prime Minister Blair, who appears in a Messiah-like moment to save the day. Played by Rufus Wright, Blair doesn’t do clichés but he feels the hand of history on his shoulder, all the same. Packy Lee plays a convincing Gerry Adams, with familiar mannerisms and facial expressions. Adams has also been given some of the more humourous lines in the production.
And what of Paisley? He is cast as a malign figure outside, raving against the negotiations and casting a shadow over Trimble, who is refusing to budge on his red lines, awkward in the company of others, and only agreeing to speak with the Prime Minister.
The lack of an interval break during the play adds to the tension on stage as the frustrations and pressures mount to breaking point with threats of walk-out and fears of sell-out.
Dan Gordon as John Hume finally gets to speak with Patrick O'Kane as David Trimble
Political drama doesn't always make for a good night out, but Agreement is much more than a history lesson. It’s a crash course in negotiation and how to resolve disputes – both political and personal – while facing up to and admitting the pressures that the other side are under. But mostly, it will make you laugh with and at the personalities we think we know, while appreciating that we are – just maybe – laughing at ourselves.
Tickets for Agreement are available to book here. Agreement runs at the Lyric until April 22.
