Playwright Derek Murphy, a New York City resident, is originally from Ballyfermot in Dublin.
By Peter McDermott
“It begins with a car accident,” Derek Murphy said. “If you hit a stranger with your car, would you invite him into your home? What would happen if you did?”
That’s the initial premise of his play “Appendage” – which he described as a “dark, twisted comedy.” It will have its U.S. premiere at the Cell Theatre next week as part of the 9th Annual 1st Irish Theatre Festival.
“It had its start in Belfast’s MAC Theatre a few years ago, with c21 Theatre Company,” the playwright said, “and continued with a successful tour of Northern Ireland.”
Irish Theatre Magazine at the time called the work “compelling” and “extraordinary.”
“It was a winner in the TRU Voices reading series in New York the same year,” Murphy added. “I have since rewritten the play from a different perspective, because I felt there was more material to be mined, and it proved to be a very rewarding and stimulating experience.”
The playwright, a resident of New York, was “born, raised and persecuted in Dublin. Ballyfermot to be exact, and wouldn’t change it for the world.”
That detail in his profile he shares with the character Jack in the play.
“The story of ‘Appendage’ is one of misguided grief, and unrequited love,” Murphy added.
Although it’s written for two male actors, the playwright said “it is dominated completely by one woman.”
He added: “We have two great actors, Ireland’s own Tim Ruddy, and American-born Christopher Randolph.
“I think ‘Appendage’ is nothing like anything they have done before, and they are treading very cautiously. The results are fantastic,” he said. “These guys may have just discovered a new avenue to explore in their careers. I think audiences are going to love them in the situations that the play places them in.
“The themes I concern myself with are the holy trinity of Irish writing – sex, family and religion,” said Murphy, who read from a work-in-progress at a recent showcase of Artists Without Walls at the Cell Theatre. “I guess the theme that rises above everything else, however, is one of alienation, and that comes in part from being an immigrant, and also in part from being driven out of one’s own country because it had nothing to offer you. Alienation is present in all of my plays, and it’s probably the most interesting perspective to begin any story.”
Murphy said that the first play he ever read is also still his favorite. Initially, though, he thought Synge’s “The Playboy of the Western World” might be a “dirty book.”
He revealed: “I’ve put a touch of Christy Mahon into almost every character I've written, the ones I cared about anyway.
Murphy continued: “I first read Samuel Beckett as a teenager, and he influenced everything I’ve written since then, included letters to my mother, which only got worse when I started reading Jean-Paul Sartre.”
Neil Simon has been another influence. “I’ve always liked him for his rhythm,” Murphy said. “He is so quintessentially New York, and for an Irish writer that was extremely appealing, just throwing those jokes around like that, like he had so many and he didn’t care where they landed. That was totally new for me. Woody Allen too.”
Indeed one admiring Northern Irish critic described “Appendage” as “part ‘The Odd Couple’ [by Simon] and part ‘Sleuth’ [by Anthony Shaffer].”
Now, Murphy said, he’s “looking forward” to seeing how an New York audience will react to it.
“Appendage,” directed by Joseph Hendel, will play at the Cell Theatre, 338 West 23rd St., Manhattan, on Sept. 28 and Sept. 30 at 9 p.m., on Sept 29 at 7 p.m., and Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. Ticket reservations ($25), call 866-811-4111. For more information about the festival, go to 1stirish.org.
