No topic is safe in this no-holds barred dark comedy

After a run of eight weeks at Riverside Studios, ‘Ulster American’ saw its last performance
on the evening of the 27 th of January in front of a sold-out crowd (including Benedict
Cumberbatch, who has himself graced the stage multiple times). The play is directed by
Jeremy Herrin, and stars acting powerhouses Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson, as well as
Louisa Harland, a relative newcomer in her most significant stage role to date. The play,
written by Irish actor-turned-playwright David Ireland, is a thought-provoking piece, which
navigates uncomfortable themes with wit, accompanied by the trio’s acting masterclass.

The plot navigates timeless ideas such as power dynamics, nationalism, gender, and self-importance with sprinkles of contemporary topics. Harrelson, Serkis, and Harland portray an actor (Jay), a director (Leigh) and a playwright (Ruth), respectively, who are poised to work together on a stage adaption of Ruth’s written work about Northern Ireland.

Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson

The set design is rich in details while maintaining simplicity. It avoids becoming a distraction while allowing the actors to roam freely in it, using the many props given to them to play around with, creating a strong sense of realism. Keeping it to the one room gives the audience a false sense of comfort, so much so that the set itself becomes a key player of sort in the play’s final moments.

Harrelson looks in his element playing an obnoxious Hollywood actor, giving a nuanced and
incredibly physical performance. The portrayal is deliberately caricatural as Jay presents
himself as liberal and Bohemian, partaking in meditation and preaching sobriety, but is
quickly revealed to be a needy and self-important artist, with a dumbfounded pride in his
Irish roots. While not the most entertaining character in the play, Harrelson seems to be
having fun playing this grandiloquent character, which only adds to the strength of his presence on stage.

Leigh, as played by Serkis, presents himself as a lover of the arts, a political advocate of the
left and a self-proclaimed feminist. He tries to please both Jay and Ruth in order to turn the
play into what he decides is a perfect introspection into the post-Brexit world, going against
Ruth’s nationalist themes and Jay’s simplistic views. This character is the strongest conduit of the satirical nature of the play, with a performance bordering on the overdone in parts but
never crossing the line. While Leigh presents himself (and his intentions) as pure, he betrays
his morals constantly and turns out to be bitter and hypocritical, in a performance so
grounded by Serkis that one has to wonder if Leigh is indeed an amalgamation of real-life
directors met by Ireland over the years.

Harland portrays Ruth, a playwright from Ireland who proudly presents herself as British.
Harland had the difficult task to play opposite two established legends and does so
wonderfully. Her character goes through the most complex arc out of the trio; she first
appears to be rather naïve and new to Jay and Leigh’s world, but quickly shows to be resolute in her political and social views, which are linked intrinsically in her play and refuses to yield to the demands of the two capricious artists. Harland’s comedic timing shines as soon as her character is allowed to match the duo’s absurdity.

Woody Harrelson, Louisa Harland and Andy Serkis

The play opens with Jay and Leigh alone. In this first chunk, Ireland does not shy away from
provoking the audience, to the cost of some people walking out early on in the play when the topic of rape becomes a tool of controversial comedy, along with their opinions on racism and sexism being discussed satirically by the duo. While there is an undeniable aspect of shock value at first, this becomes more than what could be perceived as edgy humour over time and takes the play to a surprisingly dark yet witty level.

The play admittedly loses its stride in the middle, with the arrival of Ruth, who is first
portrayed as a moral compass. This is only due to the opening being so outrageous and is in
no way related to Harland’s performance. This does not last long, however, and neither does the characterisation, as Ruth is soon revealed to be (almost) as petty and venomous as Leigh and Jay. From then on, the play becomes a fast-paced exchange between the characters, who all have very different interpretations of Ruth’s work and the direction the play should take, and hilarity and shock ensue as they all attempt to steam roll their vision of the play into being, leading to an unexpected cathartic ending.

This version of ‘Ulster American’, while not received universally well in reviews (maybe due
to its overt meta-critique of theatre critics in parts) will definitely remain a highlight of the
long list of productions at Riverside Studios. While it does have some setbacks, the brilliant
and contemporary writing of Ireland pairs up beautifully with the performances of the cast
who looked exhausted, proud and exhilarated as they bowed to resounding applause after an uninterrupted hour and a half of sardonic dialogue, with a particularly emotional Harland,
who we are sure to see more of in the near future.