Ulster American – Riverside Studios, London

Writer: David Ireland

Director: Jeremy Herrin

David Ireland’s scintillating Ulster American is more than just a hilarious comedy. It’s also a brilliant satire, sharply topical, wittily eviscerating the latest incarnation of Hollywood and Broadway’s superficial response to the #MeToo movement.

Jeremy Herrin’s production, on a short run at Riverside Studios, is perfectly cast. Real-life Hollywood superstar Woody Harrelson plays Jay Conway, a Hollywood superstar whose limitations quickly become apparent. He’s over to play the lead role in a new play, Ulster American, by breakthrough Irish playwright, Ruth Davenport. Ruth is played by the wonderful breakthrough actor, Louisa Harland (Derry Girls, Dancing at Lughnasa). If this all sounds complicatedly meta, it’s not. The plot is pin-sharp and full of surprises and Herrin’s direction keeps it all breathlessly pacy.

Jay and Ruth are meeting at the home of British theatre director Leigh Carver the night before rehearsals start. In a fabulous performance by Andy Serkis, Leigh is obviously the experienced, professional director. Soothing the monstrous ego of a Hollywood star is all in a day’s work for him, as is cherishing the talent of his emerging playwright – he’s a firm supporter of women in theatre.

The façade quickly crumbles as Jay’s monstrous ego proves hydra-headed. Leigh can cope with Jay as the evangelical 12-step addict, obsessed with explaining his Process (he evidently hasn’t got the Anonymous bit of AA, Leigh mutters darkly). It’s the fact that Jay’s self-proclaimed feminism, his paeans to Women and Black Lives Matter, are quickly revealed to be meaningless. Throughout Harrelson is fantastic, his timing immaculate, his self-conscious posing pitch-perfect. He even has a Trumpian index-finger-to-thumb gesture which he regularly deploys when underlining any of his facile-to-absurd points.

At first, Leigh tries to ignore Jay’s left-field questions – are there circumstances when it’s ok to use the N-word? Jay asks unexpectedly. But it gets worse. Who would he rape if he were forced to do so? Jay demands, adding hopefully, ‘To stop a nuclear war?’ And it’s here that Leigh’s character starts to unravel. So determined is he to flatter his star actor, that he won’t stand up to the revolting truth of his misogyny and racism. And the real reason for this begins to emerge as Leigh continues to down overflowing glasses of red wine.

Enter playwright Ruth, and the fun really begins. Enough to say that the whole question of Ireland and Irishness is brilliantly interrogated. There’s a moment of horrified silence when Jay, the self-proclaimed American Irishman, asks ‘ What is Ulster?’ He purports to adore Ruth’s play – he’s told ‘Quentin’ about it. He’s seeing a Broadway run. But he now reveals his culpable cluelessness. Can’t the script be changed? What about some Irish dancing? Everyone loves Irish dancing. ‘Prods don’t dance,’ says Ruth sourly. ‘My character’s a prod?’ And therein lies the whole problem. Jay believes he’s playing the lead role in an Irish play. Northern Ireland is still Ireland, right?

More insidious is Leigh’s weaselly response. So desperate is he to be seen championing an Irish play that he is prepared to overlook Northern Ireland’s being in the UK.

Ulster American does deserve a Broadway run, as long as it gets a West End one too. A fabulous play with a fabulous cast.

Runs until 27 January 2024