Snake Eaters, The New Theatre

"War isn't over when it ends, some pictures never leave your mind". A line from Miss Saigon came to my mind while watching Stewart Roche's new two act play Snake Eaters at The New Theatre. Hillis is recently back from a rough tour of Afghanistan with his own images that he keeps inside. As events in his hometown take shape, events that threaten his friends and family, the need to serve and protect with the tools he knows, the military training and instinct, bubbles to the surface. With excellent, natural dialogue, a flair for the everyday, it is offset by a feeling that structurally it isn't on the same solid ground. For everything that works in this new play, there are aspects that don't seem to come together.

Hillis (another solid performance from Patrick O'Donnell) is back in the family home in Nebraska, with his father, Don, The New York Times and expensive coffee being his two luxuries, a man that is both laid back, but stern at times, coming together well in the hands of Pat Nolan, while at other times finds it hard to talk to his son. Catching up with Hillis' friend Joey, an excellent performance from Cillian Roche that really catches the eye, he meets Ashley (Lesley Conroy), but she has her own baggage, mainly in Austen (John Morton)  and his particular line of work. It is a well acted play, with a strong cast, directed by Caroline Fitzgerald. 

The set is simple yet serves the purpose well, designed by Martin Cahill, letting us focus on the characters, while Cathy O'Carroll's lighting design is wonderful, giving us a moody palette which works well with Roche's style, which at times is traditional in the best sense of the term.

There is, however, lurking in the structure an unevenness that comes up by the close of the first act: we know there is something inside Hillis, but what that is we aren't sure, with the first act ending that doesn't seem to quite fit in with proceedings so far, making me wonder was this really the end of the act (it was). The opening of the second act is explosive and full of emotion, with a great monologue from Hillis, delivered extremely well by O'Donnell, but almost repeating what has gone before in the earlier scene. 

By journey's end, there is a feeling that it has become a different play, although the idea of the soldiers - Hillis is joined by Glock (Niall Bruton) - utilising their skills reminds us of that impact of war, although there is an 'Equalizer' feel to it. It just doesn't feel as unified by the end as it should, and sometimes it feels that the piece is trying to battle itself, between making particular points and telling a particular story. 

Despite all this, it doesn't lag or drag by, it keeps moving forward, with excellent writing, comic lines, and performances. although some moments do feel peculiar. Overall, it doesn't quite come together, but it is working best when making points through story and character.