No smoke without fire for Love/Hate star

ONE of the stars of Love/Hate is to perform a one-woman comedy at a Northside theatre this month.

Dublin actress Mary Murray, who plays brothel madam Janet in the smash hit crime drama and mistress to kingpin Nidge, has decided to follow in her on-screen lover’s footsteps with her own performance,

‘No Smoke Without Fire’, at the Viking Theatre, Clontarf.

Mary says she was

“mesmerised

? by Tom’s solo performance in

‘Howie The Rookie’ by Mark O’ Rowe which opened at the Project Theatre recently and toured to Edinburgh while she was there performing Ulysses.

“He’s an incredibly gifted actor and an absolute joy to watch,

? she says.

“Whenever I see him on stage or screen, I’m dumfounded by his magnetism, and when I witness him in character it reinforces my reasons for getting involved in this game in the first place.

?

Mary admits that performing an entire show without the support of other cast members is

“no walk in the park

?.

“But the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve got an audience in the palm of your hands is insurmountable,

? she says.

“There’s absolutely no sense in embarking on such a venture unless you have total belief in the writing and direction.

“The show’s success is entirely down to you on the night so the foundations need to be strong and that’s all down to the script editing and the rehearsal process.

“If you don’t deliver on the night, there’s no-one else to blame, but yourself. It’s a scary thought but it’s a good incentive to put all of your blood sweat and tears into it.

?

Mary is feeling quite confident about treading the boards at the Viking Theatre though. She says the script is an absolute hoot. Also, she’s in very safe hands with her incredibly talented director Jimmy Smallhorne, who also has a Love/Hate connection.

Jimmy played

‘Git’ in Season 3 but Mary insists that his real life personality is nothing like the RIRA tough guy he played last year.

“He’s an absolute sweetheart, but most importantly he is an exceptional talent and I’m extremely lucky to have him involved,

? she says.

“Jimmy’s a highly successful theatre maker, film director and script writer. He produced and directed numerous shows for the Irish Bronx Theatre in New York. He won the Grand Jury Prize for his feature film

‘2by4’ at the Sundance Film Festival and he’s been on first name terms with some of Hollywood’s most respected actresses including Joan Allen, Claire Danes, Kathy Bates, Brenda Blethyn and Maggie Smith.

“His advice regarding the editing process was invaluable and his understanding of female characters is a revelation in itself which is such a blessing because I play six characters in the show, so it requires somebody like him to tease out their depth.

?

Mary is no stranger to the Viking Theatre. She recently performed the world premiere of

‘Chancers’ by Robert Massey at the venue which proved to be a roaring success – and she fell in love with the audiences.

The run was completely sold out and it’s set to tour a number of Dublin theatres in February and March 2014.

Mary believes there’s nothing more fulfilling than the intimacy of a packed 50-seater venue. Although she has had a varied career behind her performing all over the world in theatres with up to 2,000 capacity, she insists that you can’t beat performing a world premiere where the audience are literally sitting on your lip, and whispering their reactions in your ear.

“You hear every gasp from them,

? she says.

“You can gauge exactly where a trickle of laughter begins and ends and you can feel the energy of the auditorium seconds into the performance.

“The audience are also very lucky because they get to observe every nuance in your vocal and facial expressionism.

?

Mary adds:

“You learn so much about your own performance because you sense every reaction, and that serves to enhance the play as the run continues.

?

*No Smoke Without Fire’ – directed by Jimmy Smallhorne and written by Paddy Murray – takes place at the Viking Theatre, Clontarf, from December 9-21 at 8pm nightly. Tickets cost

?¬10.