Review: BRICKS, Old Red Lion Theatre

When thinking of the classic settings for a heartfelt story about friendship and emotional vulnerability, a construction site is not somewhere that typically comes to mind. Yet, this is exactly where Joe McNamara brings audiences with Bricks.

Amongst the bricks, dust and stereotype of masculinity McNamara has created a moving play which deconstructs male friendship, shared grief and suppressed emotion with skill.

The two hander centres around the relationship between bricklayers Martin and Jim, friends since school who are asked to take a drug test that they both know Martin will fail. But there is more to this story than Martin’s strategy for passing the test, as flashbacks and narration interspaced through the play  slowly allow the audience to piece together their past and the experience that bonds them.

They don’t discuss the event, forever skirting it as they fail to properly acknowledge or work through their emotions. It is a play which centres around what is implied rather than what is spoken and director Finella Waddilove is unafraid of silence. This silence is one of the clear strengths of the performance. 

Harvey Comerford’s Martin is a joker, a fun loving character living for the weekend, yet as they play progresses Comerford imbues the character with layers of emotion and depth, touching on the many unsaid things. In contrast, Joe McNamara’s Jim is more emotionally three dimensional from the outset, seeming more affected by the unspoken events of the past, more introverted and introspective. Both actors are captivating.

Central to the story is a character who is not seen, rather being depicted through a prerecorded voice over and a small puppet. Fittingly, this character is nicknamed Muppet, and his story helps the audience to gain an appreciation for Martin and Jim as teenagers. The use of the voiceover is effective; however, the choice of the muppet is an interesting one that detracts from the seriousness of the words themselves and feels a little out of the blue and only tentatively relevant. There is the feeling that this could have worked just as well, or better, simply done in blackout.

The building site is a lively place, with sound designer Cameron Pike creating a realistic atmosphere through the overlayering of everyday sounds which perfectly complement the simple but effective set. Upon entering the black box theatre, audiences are instantly transported to the site through the stacks of bricks, scattered tools, personal debris, sand. To add to this, the characters fall back on cigarettes and Mini Cheddars at various points, highlighting the commitment to realism.

Overall, this is an excellent piece of theatre, which takes on a corner of the world that is rarely depicted upon the stage and breathes life into a very real situation. There is a sadness and heaviness running through the piece, while retaining moments of humour and being a thoroughly enjoyable watch. With the slow reveal of the deeper story, audiences are kept engrossed, waiting to understand what has happened to these men. Through the peeling back of layers, we are presented with a cross section of emotions and mental states.

It is undeniable that this is a cleverly written and brilliantly performed play - a successful debut for McNamara.

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