REVIEW: LIES WHERE IT FALLS by Ruairi Conaghan at Finborough Theatre 26 November – 21 December 2024

‘we must keep sharing these stories’ ★★★ 

Written & Performed by Ruairi Conaghan, it is an autobiographical retelling of his experience of trauma. In 1974, his uncle, Judge Rory Conaghan was shot dead by the IRA on his Belfast doorstep whilst holding his 9-year-old daughter’s hand. Being called out of school to be told of his uncle’s death when Conaghan was only a young boy himself, and his sense of empathy with his beloved cousin, are significant steps in inducting the audience into the horror of the situation. It was not until years later that Conaghan experienced a mental breakdown. 

As a working actor, it was triggered by a role he was playing, the part of Patrick Magee who tried to assassinate Margaret Thatcher and her government in the 1984 Brighton Bomb attack. It was not until Conaghan’s next role as the Player King in Hamlet at the Barbican opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, that the consequences of playing Magee were revealed. 

Conaghan’s retelling is very personal, introducing us to childhood friends and speaking about his road into theatre.  It does allow him to add elements of much needed humour to give the play a lift during those passages when he describes his illness and the effects of his depression. Meeting Magee during preparations for his role, is one of the most chilling episodes in the play. 

Recently there have been many plays from actor’s turned writers, often plumbing their own lives for material. Some are successful and others verge on the self-indulgent. It’s a fine balance, tricky to sustain, but Conaghan does well. There is little else to help him other than projection, scenes of a beach (perhaps shot in Brighton), which book ends the show and works so well as a symbol of war. 

It is admirable that the play attempts to be a force for peace, suggesting that forgiveness is an important part of the process. Indeed, Conaghan meets Jo Berry for a post-show interview. Her father, Sir Anthony Berry, was killed by the Brighton Bomb. As an aside, having seen Jo Berry and Patrick Magee in conversation (they have met on many occasions) it is a curious relationship. Jo Berry publicly forgives him, and he refuses to say sorry because he believes himself to be a soldier with a just cause. The suggestion seems to be that Magee is supporting Berry through her long-standing bereavement process. So, what does it really achieve? 

Nevertheless, Conaghan is right, we must keep sharing our own personal stories in an effort to make sure we never return to the troubles and other horrors of war ever again. We can be try. 

LIES WHERE IT FALLS by Ruairi Conaghan at Finborough Theatre

26 November – 21 December 2024

Box Office https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/lies-where-it-falls/