Richard's Cork Leg

Year
1993 - 1994

Creatives
Director: Eelco de Boer

Production Manager: Sape Tamsma

Writer
Brendan Behan

Synopsis
Richard's Cork Leg is a satire on Irish 'common-day life' in which Vaudeville- and Music Hall elements can be retraced, apart from the clear influence of Brecht. The story is set in a graveyard, where two prostitutes are hoping to pick up a bit of loose trade, when two men, posing as blind beggars, come into the cemetery to disturb a meeting of Blueshirts, Irish fascists. Both blind men are, in a way, appearances of Brendan Behan himself, Cronin more clearly than the Hero Hogan. A rather obscure man, Bonnie Prince Charlie, encounters them, not long afterwards all are joined by Mrs Cronin, Mrs Mallarkey and her daughter Deirdre. By then, things have just started to happen. The title of the play comes from a remark made by James Joyce on account of a refusal to produce his play The Exiled, saying that if he would have given Richard (one of the characters in the play) a cork leg, the play wouldn't have been refused. In this two-act play, the action, which is continuous, takes place in a cemetery in the Dublin mountains and in Mrs Mallerkey's house. [from the program, yet slightly edited]

Cast
Arnoud Alting van Geusau: Cronin

Ammerins de Boer: Deirdre Mallarkey

Virgil Broomans: Mrs. Cronin

Reinder Dijkhuis: Bonnie Prince Charlie

Maurice Dujardin: Hero Hogan

Curt Hoekstra: The Blueshirtleader

Wendy Lubberding: Bawd II

Marieke Visser: Bawd I

Martina Zschocke: Mrs. Mallarkey

Crew & Other volunteers: Garda / Blueshirts

Crew
Matthijs Bakker (Set)

Michelle Biesma (PR, Costumes)

Tietsje Bijlstra (PR)

Ammerins de Boer (PR)

Ellen de Boer (Lighting)

Ilona van der Brink (Make-up)

Femke Goossen (Sets)

Sabine Klunder (Sets)

Koos Maris (Lighting)

Marie Louise Poschen (Costumes)

Marit van Zomeren (Props, Make-up)

Performances
April 20th 1994: Universiteitstheater

April 21st1994: Universiteitstheater

April 22nd 1994: Universiteitstheater

Sponsors
ABN AMRO Bank Groningen

Café-Eetcafé Ugly Duck Groningen

Café de Keyzer Groningen

Café Paard van Troje Groningen

Croissants Pigalle Groningen

O'Ceallaigh Irish Pub Groningen

Slangenberg, Douma, Van Wieringen & Slijm Advocaten Groningen

Trivia

 * Music was performed by Steven Orr (Tin-Whistle & Uilleann Pipes), Jack Bronsema (Fiddle), and William van der Laan (Guitar), with arrangements by Jack Bronsema.