Review: Immersive Revival of “Stones in His Pockets” Rural Ireland Tragicomedy

Throw a stone into a lake, and it sinks. Throw the right-shaped stone at the right angle, and it skims across the water, flying through the air. A similar dynamic takes place when dreams meet reality in Marie Jones’s acclaimed tragicomedy Stones in His Pockets, first performed in 1996.

A Hollywood film is being shot in rural Ireland, offering short-term employment to locals struggling to make ends meet. The collision of these two worlds is narrated by two film extras, who provide the “peasant” backdrop to the fictional historical drama. Remarkably, just two actors on stage play all 15 characters.

Optimist Charlie, portrayed by Gerard McCabe, carries a script in his pocket. Meanwhile, the bitter pessimist Jake, played by Shaun Blaney, has recently returned from a failed attempt to make it in New York. Both characters hope the film will be their escape from their bleak situations. The script navigates their ups and downs with various film personnel, vividly embodying each cliche of their types, leading to an upbeat resolution.

Conversely, Jake’s younger cousin Sean finds his dreams cruelly dashed when he tries to approach the film’s female lead. By the end of the first act, it is Sean’s pockets that are tragically filled with stones.

The original production was set on an almost bare stage. This reimagined version, directed by Jones’s son, Matthew McElhinney, features immersive projections and sound effects to deliver a full audio-visual experience. While the spectacular technical backdrop showcases the actors’ remarkable transformational skills—marked by split-second character changes—it can detract from the drama’s momentum.

For many, the most compelling moments are the simplest—such as when Jake and Sean’s best friend recall the drowned man as a boy, skimming stones and dreaming of an impossible future.