Navan native actor returns home with oneman show

An award-winning one-man show with Navan native actor Colin Hamell moving seamlessly between more than twenty different roles, Jimmy Titanic is a wholly original Titanic story set between the great ship and heaven. It tours to Ballymun, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tallaght, Galway and Derry/Londonderry from Wednesday 15th October to 1st November.

Writer and Belfast native Bernard McMullan’s evocative and hilarious re-imagining of this story we all feel we know is skilfully directed by Carmel O’Reilly. It features an unforgettable performance by Hamell of the interwoven characters’ life, death and post-death experiences, for which he won ‘Best Solo Performance’ at the 2014 IRNE Awards.

Primary characters, Belfast shipbuilders Jimmy Boylan and Tommy Mackey were crew members on the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage. They share fascinating and moving details of the city they loved, the ship that filled them with pride and their recollection of the uncomprehendible events of 15 April 1912, 100 years later from a heaven which affords them celebrity status.

Joined by a host of funny, perplexing, powerful and irreverent characters - including Titanic passengers who went down with the ship such as John Jacob Astor, known as the richest man in the world, and mystery writer Jacques Futrelle; managing director of the White Star Line of steamships, Bruce Ismay, who survived; Senator William Smith, Chair of the Senate hearings that began at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City the day after the survivors landed; Angel Gabriel; St Peter; new arrivals, the JDs (Just Deads); and a chain-smoking God – Jimmy and Tommy step back aboard Titanic every day, riding its notoriety and struggling with its legacy.
Jimmy Titanic premiered to rave reviews as part of New York’s Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival in 2012 at the Drilling Company Theatre. It has since enjoyed continued success at The New Repertory Theatre in Boston; The Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia; The Wellfleet Harbour Actors Theatre in Massachusetts and the Centre Stage Theatre in Santa Barbara. It has had only two previous outings in Ireland including at Belfast Festival at Queen’s last October to thrilled local audiences.

Now Tír Na Theatre takes this dark comedy on a highly-anticipated countrywide tour of Ireland.
Tír Na Productions, incorporating work for screen and theatre, was founded in 2007 by Colin Hamell and is based in Boston, MA. Its mission is to produce new and contemporary works, and to bring those productions to theatres and screens throughout Europe and the United States.

An award-winning actor, Colin Hamell is producing/artistic director of Tír na Theatre. He has previously appeared as Coleman Connor in their production of ‘The Lonesome West’ by Martin McDonagh and as Son in their production of ‘Trad’ by Mark Doherty, nominated for three Elliott Norton awards and two IRNE awards. Other productions he has appeared in include ‘Stones in His Pockets’ in Brussels, Belgium and at the Boston Center for the Arts; off-Broadway in Mojo Mickybo at 59E59; ‘The Blowin of Baile Gall’ produced by Gabriel Byrne at the Irish Arts Centre; and the IRNE award-winning production of ‘The Weir’ by Conor McPherson (New Repertory Theatre).

Director Carmel O’Reilly most recently directed Crimes of the Heart for Gloucester Stage and The Lonesome West for Tír na Theatre. She is founder and artistic director of the multiple Elliot Norton Awards winning Súgán Theatre Company, based in Cambridge, MA.

Playwright Bernard McMullan, a writer and journalist from Belfast, worked for eight years as a TV news reporter and presenter at RTÉ and TV3. He was twice nominated at Media Awards Ireland for his work for RTÉ’s Prime Time. He now lives in New York and is the author of screenplays The Hidden Wake and The Chicken House.

 

Listings

 

15-16 October | Axis Theatre, Ballymun | €15/€12 | 8pm | www.axisballymun.ie

17 October | Theatre Royal, Waterford | €18/€16 | 8pm | www.theatreroyal.ie

18 October | Hole in the Wall, Kilkenny | €15/€12 | 8pm | www.holeinthewall.ie

22-25 October | Civic Theatre, Tallaght | €15/€12 | 8.15pm | www.civictheatre.ie

29 October | Town Hall Theatre, Galway | €18/€15 | 8pm | www.tht.ie

1 November | The Playhouse Theatre, Derry/Londonderry | £11/£8 | 8pm | www.derryplayhouse.co.uk

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