One of Brian Friel’s most enduring plays, Faith Healer returns to Belfast as part of the Lyric Theatre’s 75th anniversary season. The play follows Frank Hardy, a charismatic travelling faith healer who returns to his native Ireland after years spent touring the dying towns of Scotland and Wales. Part showman, part shaman, Frank offers miraculous cures to the sick and suffering, yet his extraordinary gift is as unreliable as the man himself. Alongside his wife, Grace, and his manager, Teddy, he recounts a life spent on the road. Told through four extended monologues, their accounts gradually diverge, revealing just how fragile memory can be and how differently we can remember the same events.
This is Brian Friel at his finest: pure storytelling, exquisite dialogue and a story that feels as though it has been waiting patiently to be told. Stuart Marshall’s stage set comprises of little more than a load of old chairs stacked up and a small table, but to be honest, there is no need for elaborate theatrics when the performances themselves are this captivating.
Conleth Hill’s portrayal of Frank Hardy is absolutely bewitching. He effortlessly draws us into the tale of a life well lived, presenting a man who is simultaneously a lone wolf and someone who thrives on the adoration, attention and speculation of others. Hill captures Frank’s contradictions beautifully, leaving us uncertain how much of his story to believe and whether his greatest gift might be his ability to convince others (and perhaps himself) of his own power.
As Grace Hardy, Lisa Dwyer Hogg is equally enthralling. Her account shifts our perspective, casting doubt on what we have already heard and exposing the uncomfortable distance between memory and truth. Despite delivering much of her performance seated in an old chair, Dwyer Hogg brings a remarkable physicality to the role. Her nervous shaking and subtle, restless movements speak volumes, conveying a woman carrying a lifetime of unease and unspoken pain.
After the intensity of the first half, Chris McCurry provides a welcome change of pace as Teddy, opening the second half with a performance that brings a little more warmth and joviality to proceedings. His delivery is more conversational and seemingly more straightforward, making his recollections feel refreshingly candid. However, as the layers begin to peel away, that lighter touch gives way to something far more sobering, and the scars of the trio’s shared history become increasingly apparent.
Under the direction of Emma Jordan, this revival is a masterclass in storytelling, carried by gorgeous dialogue and three compelling performances. An intimate, absorbing piece of theatre that asks us to consider the stories we construct, the truths we cling to and the things we might change, consciously or otherwise, when looking back on our lives.
That said, Faith Healer is not an easy evening at the theatre. Its lengthy monologues and measured pace demand patience and concentration, particularly during the first half. This is not a rollicking night of theatrical escapism, nor is it a production that seeks to entertain at every turn. Instead, it asks its audience to sit with uncertainty and reflect on the complicated relationship between faith, love and truth.
Ultimately, Faith Healer may leave you with more questions than answers, but that is precisely its power. Long after the final words have been spoken, the competing versions of events linger, reminding us that the past is rarely as straightforward as we would like to believe.
Running until 14th November at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre, to find out more info or to book tickets click here.
