This week at the Grand Opera House Belfast, In The Name Of The Son: The Gerry Conlon Story.
This an exciting play chronicling the extraordinary life of The Guildford 4’s Gerry Conlon.
Shaun Blaney is phenomenal in the role and keeps you glued to the stage for 2 hours as he single handedly portrays Gerry’s life after his release from prison as an innocent man. We don’t know where he finds the energy for this performance, he’s incredible, he must be physically and emotionally exhausted after it.
Shaun races through Gerry’s life with passion and high energy, playing multiple characters and accents as he bounces around the stage barefoot, red shirt soaked in sweat, telling the most fascinating life story. He starts the journey as a young man stealing and wreaking havoc in Belfast, before The Troubles start and then everything changes with a long stint in jail, as an innocent man. Eventually he is free but his freedom isn’t an easy journey.
In the Name of the Son charts Conlon’s remarkable journey into ‘freedom’ as he received and spent over £1million pounds compensation, became a cause-celebre at the Hollywood Oscars and ran in the same circles as Johnny Depp, Shane McGowan and Daniel Day Lewis. Conlon seemed to have it all but away from the glamour, fuelled by an addiction to crack-cocaine, his life was spiralling out of control.
What emerges from the darkness is Conlon’s resilience and his eventual life-changing recovery to beat his demons and become a world-renowned human rights campaigner.
Outstanding local theatre with the phenomenal Shaun Blaney taking us all on a crazy journey switching characters and accents in a heartbeat. Light and sound also play an important role in the production, with perfect timing they are his supporting cast.
Get your tickets and go and see this production this week in the Grand Opera House.
www.goh.co.uk
