15 characters played by two inexhaustible actors

Set in County Kerry, an American feature film crew have suddenly descended on a rural town to shoot the inevitable joining of hands between Maeve, the daughter of landed gentry, and Rory a local peasant lad. Despite its hogwash sentiment, this conventional American clash of the classes turns to unrequited love provides opportunities for locals to make some extra dosh at the very healthy wage of forty quid a day. Toss in a few lemon meringues and the opportunities to gawp at gorgeous self-absorbed stars and it seems as though life couldn’t get much better for the locals, especially with all the attention and money being invested into the wee town.

The Story centres around Jake Quinn, a local who has recently returned and moved in with his mother after a few years living in America, and Charlie Conlon, who is traveling around Ireland after his small movie rental shop was displaced by a big chain store.
They become friends on set and off, as they go out to the pub in the evening, and share dreams.  Jake wants to get into the movies for real, Charlie has written a screenplay and they both hope that the film will offer them a way out of their dead ends

Both are mesmerised by the lead actress on the film—Caroline—and vie for her attention. She has little acting ability but as the ‘star’ is feted wherever she goes. But Jake finds to his cost that becoming involved with her is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Slowly the glamour wears off and real life takes over.  When a tragedy happens that affects everyone in the small town, the movie machinery barely slows down, causing the two friends to rethink their priorities and what they want in life. They decide to take things into their own hands and tell their own stories.

Winner of the 2001 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Marie Jones’s tragicomedy is a grimly joyous mixture of laughter and tears, like an old man’s Guinness.

ADRIAN WHELAN as Jake Quinn
SAM MITCHELL as Charlie Conlon