The Poor Mouth was originally written in 1941 by a man with more pseudonyms then Diddy Puff Sean. Christened Brian O’Nolan and assuming the title Myles na gCopaleen for this particular book, for simplicity’s sake we’re going to refer to him by his most famous name: Flann O’Brien.
Deriving from the saying “to put on the poor mouth”, O’Brien’s work satirises the old Irish tales of Peig Sayers and Thomás Ó Criomhthain, whose autobiographies are so mundane that reading them may lead to wristslitting.
We spoke to Paul Lee who originally put the book to stage in 1989, and is reviving it 20 years later in The New Theatre.
Some book to play translations serve the story with a slight twist. A Picture of Dorian Gray shows 3 actors rehearsing a dramatic reading, while Dracula has been turned into a one-man play. Is this a direct adaptation?
Yes it’s pretty direct translation of the book. It’s an autobiographical story about an unfortunate character living in the West of Ireland. He opens the play and starts to explain his life, then we go back through his past, re-enacting pinnacle moments he has faced. The book is so well written it translated to stage seamlessly. The only difference is the use of visual gags that give a stronger punch to the humor.
When was the first time you read the book?
1988. As soon as I read it I wanted to read it out loud. At the time I had just came back from England, and I was very much involved with music-which I still am. I was visiting a great pub called An Béal Bocht (Irish for ‘The Poor Mouth’) on Charlemont Street, which was a great little music bar. I spoke to the owner of the pub about maybe adapting the book on stage and I brought together a group of artists to put it together. The original production was only to run for one week, but it was so well-received it ran for six. We’re approaching it a little differently this year; we’re going to do it in different theatres around the country rather then keeping it static in only one.
The Poor Mouth is very much a satire of the old Irish books that were on the Irish syllabus years ago, such as Peig Sayers. Do you think this would translate abroad, or is it very much only for an Irish audience?
Well, Flann O’Brien is widely read and there is already bookings coming in for the New Theatre from America, and to be fair most countries have familiar traditions – how hard life was in the old times etc. There are of course several references that perhaps only an Irish audience would get… and others that only O’Brien fans would get, but as a whole there is plenty in it that is universally funny.
Peig Sayers hasn’t been on the Irish curriculum for quite some time. Do you think the play is still relevant to today’s audience?
Yes. We tried it out before we committing to doing it in the New Theatre in the Cherry Tree. We modernized it slightly. 20 years ago the Peig Sayers era was fresher in people’s minds and people related to it much easier. A younger audience now mightn’t get the actual literary reference, but the comedy is so strong it doesn’t matter. Yet truth be told the play is probably most powerful to people who went to school in the 50s and 60s, although certainly not exclusively so.
The New Theatre is a very small and quaint theatre, was it intentional to stage the show in such a setting?
Yes, it’s a beautiful little space, with only 66 seats. Originally the play was designed for a small venue with puppets and cut out props, which get lost in a bigger space. You can’t beat the intimacy you get in a small venue. This is my first time actually working in The New Theatre and we’re very excited.
See The Poor Mouth in the New theatre from the 20th July for a limited run, tickets priced €20/15/10.
