FOR THE PAST couple of weeks, Conall Morrison's warmly praised production of The Crucibleon the spectacular Northern Bank Stage has been commanding all the attention at Belfast's new Lyric Theatre.
But this week, it's the turn of its studio space to come into its own. The Naughton Studio, which will be a venue for new work and incoming companies, is named after Dr Martin and Carmel Naughton, whose £1 million donation represents the largest private gift ever made to the arts in Ireland and for which the couple were awarded the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy.
The visual impact of the main auditorium is all about timber walls and curving stairways, echoing the sinewy, tree-lined river below. In contrast, the studio is compact and cosy, constructed in similar red brick to the neighbouring grid of terraced houses, which can be clearly seen through its large picture window.
The first production to occupy this space is
Brendan at the Chelsea, directed and performed by Adrian Dunbar (pictured) and written by Janet Behan, Brendan Behan's niece. Dunbar had been invited to take on the title role in a rehearsed reading at London's National Theatre. When the decision was taken not to proceed with it, he and Behan put up their own money for a short run at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.
Convinced of its validity, they have put heart and soul into this reworking for the Lyric, whose excellent facilities, he believes, will result in very high production values. He and Behan share a fond hope that the means will then be found for a transfer to its natural home.
"The play is an homage to New York, where Brendan was the toast of the town for a couple of years, if only he'd been in a fit state to enjoy it," says Dunbar. The setting is Behan's room in the famously bohemian Chelsea Hotel during the 1960s. Arthur Miller is living across the hall and the roar of the traffic on 24th Street is drifting up through the window. But most of this is lost on Behan. His booze-soaked life is well past its sell-by date, his unpaid bills are mounting, his writer's block is causing publishing nightmares, and his mistress just won't quit calling.
The role is a gift to this Enniskillen-born actor, whose edgy, unpredictable stage presence was first glimpsed on the stage of the Lyric in the premiere of Graham Reid's hard-hitting
The Hidden Curriculumin 1982. In speculating on elements of the central character with which he might personally identify, he doesn't miss a beat.
"There was a period in my life when alcohol was a good friend," he says. "Then there came a point when I realised that it was definitely not a good friend. I haven't had a drink now for many years. But it needs to be understood that alcoholism is a disease not a lifestyle choice. When people think of Brendan, they tend to focus on the drink. But this piece, which Janet has written beautifully, examines other aspects of his life – his IRA membership, his time in borstal and prison, his bisexuality, the debilitating effects of his diabetes, his excommunication from the Catholic Church."
He declares himself delighted to have gone full circle in returning to "the best theatre on the island. Belfast has got itself a destination building, something we can be proud to leave for future generations. The theatre possesses a canon of work by great writers like Graham Reid, Stewart Parker, Martin Lynch, Christina Reid, Marie Jones, John Hewitt, Pat Galvin and, latterly, Owen McCafferty. It's important that the Lyric acknowledges it, looks after it and protects it."
JANE COYLE
Runs from May 21st to June 19th. Bookings on lyrictheatre.co.uk
