Front Lines: Gleeson Street

Boasting not one but three acclaimed actors, Gleeson clan DNA should be bottled and stored to ensure continuing success for Irish dramatic endeavours. At any given time of day, one of them is bound to be gracing a stage or screen somewhere on the island.

Until now, the three have never acted together, but next January Landmark Productions will bring the talents of Brendan and sons Domhnall and Brian to the Olympia stage. The three will star in Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce, the story of a father and two sons who move from Ireland to London.
Sitting in the cosy surrounds of Maureen’s Bar in the aforementioned venue, Brendan and Brian (Domhnall is away working) are happy to chat about the upcoming project. “We had been looking around for something to do together,” explains Brendan. “Domhnall had seen it and just suggested it. The more I read the script it was just a no-brainer. It was such a good fit. It’s such a brilliant piece of writing, so challenging and funny.”
We wonder how similar the fictional family is to the Gleesons?
“Completely, they’re pretty much the same and that’s why we wanted to do it!” exclaims Brendan.
“Utterly dysfunctional!” chips in Brian.
So was it a laugh-a-minute, mad upbringing for you?
“Yeah pretty much, there were four of us all close in age. My memories from childhood are similar enough to the play, just mad imagery!” he says.
“Well somebody asked earlier did we get on like a house on fire, we got on in a house on fire!” laughs Brendan.
Enda Walsh seems to be the golden boy of Irish theatre at the moment, given the continuing success of Ballyturk.  
“I think he’s like Beckett,” notes Brian. “Even watching the The Walworth Farce you don’t know what’s going on for the first half an hour, and it’s brilliant, you have to just go in and unearth it yourself because he doesn’t tell you what’s going on. I think he’s the best.”
With rehearsals taking place over Christmas, we wonder how this will affect family festivities.
“Poor Mary (Brendan’s wife), I think she said she’s either going to get a shotgun or else just leave the house when we’re rehearsing because there’s only so much you can take,” says Brendan.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of a shotgun!” says Brian.
“Well I made that bit up actually, she didn’t say that,” smiles Brendan. “It gets too much sometimes. If you’re going on about work talk it gets boring so we’ll have to put some ground rules in place for Christmas!”
Turning to matters topical, we wonder what Brendan made of the Scottish referendum, given that his Braveheart performance is one of his most famous roles.
“Are you trying to get me into trouble?!” he bellows. “I thought it was fantastic that 84% of voters went out to vote about something that concerned them.
“I wish we could get something, anything of the same kind of enthusiasm, and go out and express who we want to be in the same way. I think it’s absolutely brilliant in terms of people being engaged in deciding their own future and I wish we could do the same.”
As I have just been given my marching orders (possibly due to my last query) I quickly ask Brian about Love/Hate, in which he has starred.
“I’ll definitely be watching the new series!” he says. “I think it’s great, talk about standards, that’s just set the bar for Irish drama so high. I think it resonates because it’s so good; the storytelling is superb. Stuart Carolan is such a brave writer (Brendan nods in agreement), he’s very fearless. We’re lucky to have him.”
As we are to have the Gleesons.

Tickets for The Walworth Farce are on sale now.