The Gigli Concert by Tom Murphy, Druid Theatre

Abstract

One of the clichés of Irish theatre historiography is that drama in this country is excessively verbal – that our dramatists write for the voice, but not for the body. But if you actually go to the theatre here, it soon becomes obvious that the distinction between text and movement is a false one. Many of our great actors are great precisely because of their ability to embody the text: their movement is always based on their breathing as they deliver lines, and their decisions about where, when and how to move always seem to begin with their lungs. I'd think in this context of how Owen Roe often uses hand gestures to convey the force of his dialogue, or of how Aidan Kelly uses the build-up and release of tension around his shoulders to create a sense of menace in his delivery of lines. I'd think too of Aisling O’Sullivan’s ability to convey hesitation or ridicule with a tilt of her head before speaking, or of how Dearbhle Crotty establishes her characters’ relationships with others by subtly leaning towards or away from them in conversation. Actors are supposed to move, of course – but my point here is that the best actors make the distinction between the voice and the body seem nonsensical.