Actors transcend flaws in ‘Stones’ Acadia theater does work by Irish author

“Stones in His Pockets” is a two-man, 15-character sleight-of-hand tragicomedy about an American film crew storming a small Irish village in County Kerry. Written by Belfast playwright Marie (pronounced MAH-ree) Jones, the show was a surprise hit in London in 1999 and again on Broadway in 2001. It won two Lawrence Olivier Awards (one for best comedy, one for best actor) and, now on the regional circuit, has become a darling among actors and audiences alike.

Despite its outright success, “Stones in His Pockets” may have struck some as corny to the point of annoyance, smugly clever and far too wink-wink-nudge-nudge. But the Maine premiere of “Stones in His Pockets,” running through July 25 at Acadia Repertory Theatre in Somesville, has none of that. Under the direction of Ken Stack and staged in the small, intimate setting of the Masonic Lodge, the show’s narrative qualities emerge, and the great Irish tradition of storytelling appears like a rainbow in bright display.

In the course of the two-hour-plus show, acting duo John Geoffrion and Peter Stray swiftly transform into not only Jake and Charlie, the central characters in the play, but also into such varied personalities as an American movie actress, a snooty British director, his nervous assistant, a drug addict, a cleric and an old man who, as it happens, is the oldest surviving extra from the most famous American shoot in Ireland, John Wayne’s movie “The Quiet Man.”

Geoffrion and Stray do not aggrandize either the changes or the characters. They use minimal props – the stage itself is bare except for black boxes and a row of shoes, an image that invokes both a costume shop and the myriad of characters who materialize through gestures as small as a turn of the shoulder or the flutter of hands.

While the title refers to the tragic fate of one of the supporting characters, the themes of the play range greatly. The love of land, the difficulty of change, the strains of poverty, the triumph of spirit, the tenderness of friendship, and the shared history and dreams between Ireland and America all shape the many emotional moments – both funny and sad – that make up the loose plot. The playwright spins a fast revolving door of fairly predictable topics, and her situational comedy is not particularly original. But it does tap into something basic about dreams, community ties and loyalty.

The actors, assisted by Acadia Rep’s fine technical crew, keep their energy high right until the last scene. They don’t ever reach a teetering peak, and it’s a testament to their understanding of the subtleties that can be found in Jones’ script. Their only real flaw is that their adopted accents can get muddied and, frequently, they speak too quietly.

But at its best on Wednesday night, Acadia Rep’s production of “Stones in His Pockets” was like a concert from which you emerge with the music still playing in your head.

Acadia Repertory Theatre will present “Stones in His Pockets” through July 25 at the Masonic Lodge in Somesville. For information, call 244-7260. Alicia Anstead can be reached at 990-8266 and aanstead@bangordailynews.net.