Men from Tortuga

Focus Theatre

Purple Heart Theatre continues its relationship with contemporary American writing in this production of Jason Wells' naturalistic mystery Men of Tortuga. The title is as specific as Wells gets in this absurdist political thriller, which hinges on the unsaid, as three suited men plan a terrorist attack upon an unnamed enemy in defence of an unspecified cause. The first scene is an extended conversation with a hired hitman, where a discussion of strategy (snipers or missiles) is underpinned by a philosophical debate about morality, power and compromise. Written in 2006, the parallels between the empty rhetoric of Bush-era defence of the war in Iraq is blatantly obvious, and yet as the dialogue dances around any clear references to time, place, or ideology, Wells ensures his play remains theatrical rather than polemical.

The fine cast deserve better than Martin Cahill’s shoestring set, a series of washed grey panels which evokes an office setting and perhaps the dirty windows of an American city skyline.

The immediate impression is amateur rather than professional, but director John O’Brien immediately lifts the standard above the obviously small budget once the first scene begins. There is palpable menace despite the initial affability of the conspiring trio, who move from planning an individual assassination to a mass terror strike with alarmingly casual ease. Steve Wilson’s Avery swings from rational peacemaker to chief puppeteer in a smooth unnerving arc. Equally, Gerry O’Brien’s Maxwell might well be the good guy not the villain, as he holds his character’s motivation back from us with a gripping intrigue that is maintained even after his departure from the drama. Les Martin’s Fletcher just skims sympathetic, while Dermot Magennis’s Kling refuses to, as Wells pits the characters against each other in constantly surprising ways. Stewart Roche’s po-face Taggart, meanwhile, is the nexus for much of the black humour in the play.

Despite the poor production values – a result of underfunding rather than imagination – this is a finely rendered imagining of an excellent and topical American play.

Runs until November 27th