Irish folk love to tell stories and two of Ireland’s favourite literary sons, Frank (‘Angela’s Ashes’) and Malachy (‘A Monk Swimming’) McCourt, come up with a tasty smorgasbord of stories with their new show ‘A Couple of Blaguards’.

Their stories predate both their memoirs, and concentrate on tales from their brotherhood in Limerick, and their early adulthood as immigrants in New York.

The McCourt brothers originally performed their successful show in the early 1980’s, and the show has had many productions since. The current production has been brought to Australia by Andrew McKinnon productions and is directed by Howard Platt.

We don’t have the McCourt brothers to perform in their current Australian revival of the production however we have the next best alternatives. They are Max Cullen and Max Gillies, two of our best loved comic performers.

It’s hard to think of two better impersonators of a vast array of characters. The actors engage in some vaudeville and cross gender pantomime. The high spirited comedy is peopled with gossiping old biddies, a scolding grandmother and a kindly priest, and other eccentric characters.

The two Maxes shine in their primary roles. Gillies as Malachy gives a charismatic performance and tellingly delivers the memorable line, ‘I drink to make other people as interesting as myself’. Cullen plays Frank in a typically gruff, understated style.

What will stay with me most about this Howard Platt production was that it captured the McCourt brothers’ spirit, of being able to be good natured and laugh at life, no matter what turns in the road lie ahead.

(c) David Kary