Surprisingly, Gabriel Byrne’s Walking With Ghosts marks the legendary star of stage and screen’s West End debut, at the age of 72. The play, based on his best-selling book and directed by Lonny Price, has already had critically acclaimed runs in Dublin and Edinburgh, and its short run at London’s Apollo Theatre will be followed by a New York transfer.
It’s quite a feat for one person to carry an entire show for a full two and a half hours, yet in Byrne’s presence, time simply melts away. This impressive performance spans the life of a man who has mixed with Hollywood royalty yet focusses very much on his native Ireland.
Some of the references might be lost on those of us who grew up outside of the Emerald Isle, but it’s always clear what Byrne is aiming to convey. This is storytelling at its finest, as Byrne allows us into various vignettes of his past in stories told with rich language and a captivating vividness.
We begin with Byrne’s childhood, and his hatred for the Catholic school that his parents had to save so hard for to be able to afford the uniform. Later Byrne would attend Seminary, with hopes of becoming a Priest, but the sexual abuse he suffered would put an end to that dream.
Byrne paints a picture of being someone who wasn’t really very good at anything; an apprenticeship as a plumber ended prematurely, as did a stint as a dishwasher in a hotel. It wasn’t until he started attending amateur dramatics that Byrne’s future became mapped out.
But despite an impressive CV, Walking With Ghosts rarely talks about the career that made Byrne famous. He talks briefly about his role on The Riordans, and talks with fondness about working with Richard Burton, but in the main, this solo play is about the ‘ghosts’ that Byrne has carried with him through life.
Family plays a big role in this; his grandmother, who would take him to the cinema and feed him cornflakes, his beloved mother and father, and his sister were all crucial in his formative years, and their influence would continue to stay with him through life.
Walking With Ghosts uses comedy to great effect, Byrne’s impersonations of these important characters in his life are very funny, and the favourite lines of his mother that Byrne repeats delight the audience.
Byrne also talks with frank honesty about more difficult periods of his life, he comes right to the front of the stage to talk about his battle with alcoholism and doesn’t shirk away from the problems that his sister would face on reaching adulthood. This switching between comedy and tragedy keeps the audience gripped, and utterly charmed, by Byrne’s natural ability to engage.
Sinéad McKenna’s set and lighting design helps give context to times and locations, but remains subtle enough to allow Byrne’s story to shine through. In terms of direction, Lonny Price also allows Byrne to open himself up to the audience without unnecessary distraction.
This failed priest and failed plumber has gone on to lead an extraordinary life, and Walking With Ghosts delves into Byrne’s past to show us all that personal history can be reconciled in a way that allows us to learn lessons and move on. This is an exceptional piece of storytelling told through a tour-de-force performance.
Gabriel Byrne’s Walking With Ghosts plays the Apollo Theatre until 17 September before a Broadway transfer
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