Tension before the footlights
By our drama critic
The David Trimble Amateur Dramatic Society staged a lavish production at the Stormont Castle Buildings auditorium on Tuesday. David Trimble relinquished the main role in the drama to his leading man Ken Maginnis who gave a tour-de-force performance as the Chief Prosecutor in the Trial of Sinn Féin, the latest play from the talented team of writers at Glengall Street.
While Maginnis took the honours at the front of the stage, Trimble's dramatic entrances and exits at the head of the Greek chorus of unionism framed the entire production. Maginnis's delivery was measured and menacing throughout, in contrast to the violent mood changes of his leader who scattered party colleagues and media people in his wake.
"Sinn Féin is a monstrous deceit condemned out of the mouths of virtually every other party here," was delivered by Maginnis with maximum emphasis. The chilling word "Godfathers" was flung in the direction of Sinn Féin and rang through the auditorium.
The ghost of John Bruton was summoned to make the Irish government delegation blush as Maginnis repeated the Lost Leader's words of condemnation of Sinn Féin. Yet the nationalist members of the audience remained strangely unmoved, some even nonchalantly thumbed the supplied script to see how much of the soliloquy was left. It was a display of bad manners which this critic hopes he never sees again.
But the Tyrone thespian's performance of the great speech was not the end of the show. In a masterful touch worthy of Beckett the writers had contrived the climax of the drama in this way - having held the stage in the presence of the entire cast, the main character abruptly departed before they could respond. In this play there was no dialogue.
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