How Rigor Mortis got back to its Urbs

or Diary of two Deise Men, a Dub & a Yellowbelly doin the drama in the Deise!

So have you heard of a little Waterford play called Rigor Mortis? You may know it by its original title: Urbs Intacta Manet. You may have never heard of any of its names but whatever it’s called it’s coming home to Waterford for the first time in 10 years in a brand new production which played a sell out run in London last year at the Hope Theatre.

But why the change of title and how did it get from Waterford to London and back to Waterford again?

Therein lies the tale.

Pat Daly’s black comedy of drink, drugs, friendship & mortality was first produced in Waterford in 2004 as ‘Urbs Intacta Manet’ starring Jamie Murphy and Michael Quinlan, directed by Michael Power and presented by Bowler Hat theatre Co. It was received with huge acclaim and that production was revived numerous times. The play went on to be performed around Ireland and was adapted by Paul Bolger into the short film ‘Angus’.

But in 2004 an unsuspecting Waterford audience were blown away by the story of two friends and a coffin stolen from the Holy Family. I remember it well. The play featured something that Waterford theatre goers hadn’t seen onstage possibly since Jim Nolan’s the Gods Are Angry Ms. Kerr; a Waterford play about Waterford people, with all the jokes and references that only a Waterford audience would really get. They were seeing people they knew onstage and it clicked. The original title of the play being the city motto said it all (Urbs Intacta Manet Waterfordia bestowed by Henry VII means Waterford remains the untaken city), this was from top to tail a Waterford play, boy. Since then Pat Daly has become one of Waterford’s most well known playwrights. Writing in the local vernacular and presenting stories about the kind of people we know only too well from the streets of the city has been a hallmark of Pat’s plays which include ‘GTI', ‘Dissident’ and most recently ‘The Hall’. Its not many plays in which you’ll hear the term ‘I’ll bust your head boy!’. You will in Pat’s plays.

Being in Urbs was an epiphany for Michael Quinlan at the time. Mick, as we all know him, had been in many musicals and pantos and variety shows but ‘Urbs’ was his first play proper and it stuck with him. And then in 2010 everything changed for him. The county was in dire straits and the factories were closing. Mick had worked in a factory pretty much constantly since leaving De La Salle in 1995. He accepted voluntary redundancy and where most people would go on holiday Mick decided to audition for the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He called up to me one night while I was in Waterford and told me he was going. He said to me:

‘If you can do it anyone can sure.’

He was messing but there’s a ring of truth to it. If a fella from Congress Place can do it surely Morley Terrace could get a look in. And Mick is good. It’s in his blood. His Mother’s first cousin was the late great Waterford actor John Rogan. He got offered a place at Central and moved to the London, graduating in 2011. This fella, despite having only ever seen two Shakespeare productions in his life before drama school, now had a Masters in Classical Theatre. A big difference to shift work. Since then he has worked on various productions. Last year he appeared in Moon for The Misbegotten which subsequently toured to the Geva Theatre in New York, onscreen he has worked with Shane Meadows on This is England. But ‘Urbs’ was always in the back of his head. For five years every time he and I would be at a play at one of London’s numerous fringe theatres Mick would remark:

‘This place would be deadly to do Urbs in boy.’

To which, ever the realist, I would reply:

‘You’re probably right, but who’s going to put it on for us, where’s the money going to come from and where in London would you get a lend of a coffin?’

And on the wishing and dreaming would go. Until in 2016 we were putting on my and Richard Hardwick’s play CAT (also seen in Waterford on numerous occasions). The theatre was The Hope Theatre in Islington, London and Mick was working on sound for it and inevitably the statement came:

‘This place would be deadly to do Urbs in boy.’

But this time it was starting to look deadlier than normal. It wasn’t a fringe theatre that charged rent but rather did a 50:50 split on box office in lieu of that. Suddenly it seemed like there may be a smidgeon of a possibility. Maybe we could put this on ourselves and not end up in debt. We started seeing if it was a goer by looking at each part of the production. The cast. Jamie Murphy wouldn’t be available to come to London to rehearse and then perform a play as he’s a front man to numerous bands with gigs every weekend. The call went out to Wexford actor and drinking buddy Paul Connaughton. Now based in London Paul’s credits include stints with Druid and at the Gate Theatre among others. And sure Wexford is only up the road. He was all over it so the cast at least was in place. But who would direct it? Again it would be tricky to get original director Mickey Power to do as he was busy with his own career as an actor in Ireland. By chance I was having a few pints with one of Ireland’s best actors Aidan Kelly who asked:

‘What’s Mick up to?’
‘He’s thinking about putting on a play.’
‘No way? Give me a read of it.’

He read it and emailed back:

‘It’s great. I’ll direct it if you want.’

Back of the net. Now there was a cast and production team in place (I was gonna do lights and sound. I was cheap sure). The theatre normally has to read the play and approve it to give it dates but CAT had been a hit there so they took it sight unseen and offered dates in November 2016. So it had to happen. All the talking about it over the years and now there was no going back. One problem though. No coffin. And in a play about a fella stealing a coffin it’s a pretty important bit of set. In the original production the coffin was on loan from John Thompson, funeral director and great man of the theatre himself. Not so easy to get a lend of in London let’s be honest. Feelers were put out and one got back to us. Tommy Farrell, Waterford bass player and style icon also now living in London, said he knew a fella who makes them and would make a simple one that would look good for a few quid. Brilliant. And rehearsals started. First off was a read through in the corner of a pub near The Hope Theatre after which the director told the lads that he thought they were playing the wrong parts. He asked them to try it the other way round. And the script started to sing. Kelly’s a great actor and here’s him already being a great director. A great start and rehearsals just got better. A buzz was building. The set was sorted, very simple: a table, a couch and the Coffin which was to be delivered the day of the first show in time for the technical rehearsal. We kept it simple, money of course being a factor but also I’m of the opinion that if you have a ‘Good Story, Well Told.’, you don’t need big sets. That said with this play you DID need the coffin. It was pretty essential.

Then the day before we opened the lads got a picture of the coffin.

It looked like something out of feckin IKEA.

Instant panic stations. It was the shape of a coffin, sure, but it was pale plywood no stain or varnish or brass attachments or religious symbols. The deceased was heading to a pauper’s grave. Because of the state of it the coffin was free now, which was all very well but what the hell were we gonna do? The show opens in less than 24 hours! But that’s the thing about theatre. The show must go on. Cut to the next morning and while Mick is unloading the Kallax coffin out of a van I’m in a Catholic supply shop buying a Crucifix to glue on the lid. This place was like a cash and carry for Jesus and there was tons of choice. Sorted. My girlfriend Suzy who is a fine artist is buying quick drying stain and brass door handles. Half way through the day the lads are doing a run through while me and Suzy are painting the coffin in front of them and screwing and gluing on the bits and pieces. This is theatre at its most raw. Right to the wire. And its great. There’s nothing like that buzz. And the show that night is electric! It was always a worry that it might be too local in its characters and references for a London audience and we had tailored a couple of bits with that in mind. A mention of Rice Chapel goes down well in Town but in Islington it would have people scratching their heads as to why we have a shrine to a side dish. Its also why we added another title. The untaken city is talked about in the play but unhelpful on a poster in a kebab shop in North London. So ‘Urbs’ became ‘Rigor Mortis’. But the play goes down an absolute storm and it’s sold out for the run. The boys are acting their noses off and having a ball and we got away with the coffin!

While the run in London went without a hitch something did happen during it that we couldn’t foresee. During the play the radio is turned on and WLRFM’s Deise AM comes on with someone ringing into Billy McCarthy about the fact that a coffin has been stolen. It was a great little VO that Billy and Lynda Gough had done for the short film version and we had got permission to use it. It was too good not to. Then on the 20th of Novemeber Billy McCarthy unexpectedly and tragically passed away. It was a big shock for everyone. The question was do we remove the voiceover from the play out of respect? No way. It was decided to leave it in as a tribute to him. We put a short note in the programme sheet explaining who Billy was and the significance of hearing his voice that night and dedicated the performance to him. There was a few people in the audience from Waterford that night and it was strange when you heard his voice knowing what had happened just that day. But I’m glad we have kept it and I hope it continues to be used. It’s an honour to be able to use his voice and I think its a lovely tribute. It will be very poignant to hear it in the Theatre Royal. But along with everything else it anchors the play in Waterford. And that’s what Mick wanted to do in the first place. Present a piece of Waterford writing onstage in London. And he did. In style. Pat Daly travelled over to see it and he was delighted with it. At the end of the run in London the abiding feeling from Paul and Aidan was:

‘Wouldn’t it be deadly to do this in Waterford?’

And Mick looked nervous.

Cut to earlier this year and I’m having a meeting with Theatre Royal Artistic Director Ben Barnes about a different project and he mentions how he’d love to get a small scale, small cast show with a local flavour in and see if it might have an audience. Small scale? Small Cast? Local Flavour? I think I might know one of those. So I pitched him the idea of bringing URBS back home to Waterford and he loved the idea and would give us dates if we wanted them. Surprisingly the tricky thing was to convince Mick. He was worried about bringing it back home you see. It was such a success the first time round he was worried it would be compared to it. But bit by bit he started to realise that it’s a different show. The same play of course but it has changed in ways other than lines. There’s a different cast, a different director and, most importantly, Mick is different. When he first did this play he was working in a factory and doing plays were a hobby. Now he’s a professional actor and it’s his life. And not only that but he has made it happen for himself. I’m often asked by young people for advice about becoming an actor or surviving as an actor because it is hard. REALLY hard. And over the last few years my response has invariably been:

‘If you can’t get work. Make your own.’

That’s what we did with CAT a few years ago and that’s what Mick and Paul are doing now. It’s scary, but what part of this job isn’t? And that’s why Mick came around to the idea because he’s proud of the work, proud of the fact he got Pat’s words on a London stage and now proud to bring it back home. And home is a deadly place to do the show. Great work stands up to many interpretations and this is a case in point here. This is a new interpretation of the same play some of you saw and enjoyed years ago, and if you haven’t seen it you’re in for a treat (but of course I’m biased). Let’s be straight down the line here: Rigor Mortis (Urbs Intacta Manet) is a one act play. Just over 50 minutes straight through which is why we are starting at the later time of 9pm but more importantly is why for the cost of the ticket you get a Play AND a Pint. A night at the Theatre is not cheap and we’ve always tried to make sure that people feel like they’ve gotten value for their hard earned dosh. This play is a short sharp shock which you can enjoy with a drink so you are not jealous of the lads slugging cans over a coffin up on stage and then be in the pub or on the way home by ten.

Happy days.

And we are very happy to bring this back home. Hope to see ye there.

Rigor Mortis (Urbs Intacta Manet) — so good they named it twice.

Jamie Beamish
The London
September 2017

Rigor Mortis (Urbs Intacta Manet) by Pat Daly

Waterford, Ireland. Mourners arrive at the Holy Family only to find the deceased missing. Jimmy wakes up in his sitting room hungover to Jesus, only to find a coffin in front of the couch and Ted knocking at the door.

What the f*ck is he after doing?

Theatre Royal, Waterford.
Thursday Sept. 14th to Saturday Sept. 16th at 9pm.
€15 Play AND a Pint.

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