Ulster American
Postcard Review by Caroline Russell-King
Show – Ulster American
Playwright/s – David Ireland
Production Company/Theatre space – Co produced by the theatre and Michael Rolfe / @ 14th Ave and 2nd Street SW.
Length – One Act 85 minutes (no intermission)
Genre/s – Comi-drama
Premise – An American Oscar winning actor, a London director, and a British playwright clash over feminism, racism, rape, politics, religion, and contents of the play (which has been badly misunderstood) in post-Brexit Britian with metaphorical table turning treachery and tantrums.
Why this play? Why now? – While it would seem on the surface this is an “issue play” it’s really a play about humans struggling with art and power.
Curiosities – Is it possible that this play had stronger resonance because was born in England and lived in Britain during The Troubles? Is it because as a playwright (and I’ve been in those meetings) that the pain and laughs cut deeply? Ground Zero (with Hit and Myth) produced a decade of strong dramas from 1997- 2007 including Killer Joe, Race, and Pillowman; who else remembers and aches for these small cast powerful often politically charged productions?
Notable Moment – It’s seldom that I don’t see a punchline from a kilometer away, but the last line was perfection.
Notable writing –The last season opened with 2025 Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Jacobs-Jenkins’ brilliant script and this too is a darkly funny political play. The characters are sharply written, and the dialogue flings more mud and damage than a demolition derby in the rain. Ireland’s play is a unicorn of a show that started as a Fringe show and went on have many successful professional productions. There is one bit of internal logic that doesn’t quite pass muster but it’s hardly noticeable on this volatile ride.
Notable performances – This is Abagail Vanmerlin’s best work to date. Her contained fury in understated looks and accent are faultless. I’ve never been so interested in a person casually flipping pages in an art book. Tom Currie is Jay the pseudo feminist American we’d all like to throttle. Except for some early Shakespeare Company shows, his work has been in middle and high schools; the general public needs to see more of him. Michael Rolfe struggles with his accent and isn’t as natural as his companions.
Notable design/Production – This show has a familiar, clean, minimal aesthetic.
Notable direction – It’s always a challenge to direct on a stage with a two-sided audience on an “L” and things seem a bit overly busy in the beginning but just like the hairpin turbulent fun fair ride the show soon gains momentum and gives us some fast whiplash scenes. It’s almost a shame that Rico Pfeiffer’s fight direction is mentioned in the program because it leaves us waiting for things to get physical and it should really come as a surprise.
One reason to see this show – Especially go if you are old enough to miss Ground Zero Theatre shows (when co-produced with Hit and Myth); you should go see this. the theatre is fast filling the void that GZT, Sage, Theatre Junction, and The Shakespeare Company used to occupy.
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