FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2024

Whisk(e)y Wars
Joyce Greenaway in 'Whisk(e)y Wars'

A famous soap opera from Down Under has told us all, through its title song, that "with a little understanding" one can "find the perfect blend".

Well, take a moment to imagine that hope and dream of the "perfect blend", make it imperfect and then marry it with scattered recollections, well-spoken prose and understatedly powerful expressiveness, and you have something like Joyce Greenaway's Whisk(e)y Wars - a one-woman show like no other. This is a piece which subtly, intimately, openly and sensitively connects everything and everyone that comes from someone's past with logical and emotional hypotheses about everything and everyone they, and maybe we, are most likely to need to move forward – a story which defines predilection and projection as an affecting art form.

How do "whisk(e)y", and "wars" play a part in all of this? Is the war in question a personal battle with the "bottle" per se? Actually, it isn't at all. Or doesn't seem to be. "Whisk(e)y" is the family business of Greenaway's Tam Tully, and the "Wars" are implied to be between Tam, her memories and the economic & social climate that surrounds her. I guess it is a battle, alright – the recollection of a battle to ensure that Tam's family and her family name aren't lost in both a personal and a business sense, with nothing to keep her going in the moment except her words and her reactions.

The whiskey of Tam's eight-generation Mourne Distillery is portrayed here as something of a miracle – a source of great national and family pride that is as capable of delighting everyone as it is troubling everyone. In Tam's language, and how Greenaway delivers it, we get an idea of not only the taste of the drink itself but also the formation of a rebellious streak, a defiance that has been known to lead to distinctive creativity. Therein lies the potential for descriptive enrichment and emotive power - and Greenaway delivers in every second of the piece.

While the show skilfully presents the numerous setbacks we encounter in life, countered by only sporadic joys, there is still a unique kindness and spirited determination to be gleaned from Tam's highly observant reflections. This is not a case of being doused in gloom, but an instance of discovery, an opportunity to learn about the emotive and ideological bonds formed with people, business and creativity and how they fit into the foundations and strengths of one person's life and livelihood.

A play like Whisk(e)y Wars is a perfect example of why we go to watch theatre to begin with. It’s a production that cements one's faith in the human soul through a level of performative and written sincerity that is hugely recognisable and immensely enlightening. It is raw, it is real, and it is resonant – it is right up there with the kind of monologue play that can make you laugh, smile, think and shed a tear all at once. I wasn't ready for Whisk(e)y Wars to affect me like it did, but I have little doubt that me and the audience who attended the production recently at Belfast's Titanic Distillers really felt the enduring impact of Tam Tully's turbulent, tantalising and truly terrific tale – courtesy of Greenaway's tremendous efforts in bringing this story to life. The applause is long, loud and utterly deserved.

Simon Fallaha

Whisk(e)y Wars was performed in Titanic Distillers on Friday July 26 as part of the Eastside Arts Festival. It was also performed on Thursday August 1 at the Andersonstown Social Club as part of Féile an Phobail, and runs tonight, Friday August 2, at The Court House in Bangor as part of the Open House Festival.