 What drives a boy to become a Bus driver?
It’s not only to follow in the footsteps of his father and
grandfather, but also growing up hearing the stories both tell at
the drop of a hat. He has hear of the toddler going to school, of
her courting and on to her having a family of her own and he wants
to be part of that sort of humanity. It is the story of the bus
workers in Northern Ireland covering three generations of one
family, starting in the early thirties and finishing in 1969 at
the start of the troubles.
Most of this play is about ' the craik ',
about telling stories, the love and admiration of good friends and
close family members and the laughs are fast and furious. It is
also a potted historical look at the bus service. Yet, like life it
has its sadness and anger.
James Ellis as the grandfather and many
of the audiences will have grown up seeing him on television, he
is probably best known for his time in Z-Cars or perhaps as in
Playing the Field. His stage presence
is such that it is hard to drag your eyes away from him.
Brian McAvera as the father was the least
known to me, he is an actor, director, producer and playwright.
Amongst his creations is “Kings of the Road” itself, which I
think is beautifully written.
The youngster on the group is Ed Byrne
well known to Edinburgh Fringe audiences but usually for his
stand-up comedy. He has
recently branched out into
films and television as well as still doing his comedy shows.
Anyone who had any doubt about Ed’s acting abilities should try
to see this wonderful show.
There were parts of this show in which I
was crying with laughter but the ending moved me to tears. This
exceptional performance needs to be seen not only in Edinburgh but
all over the U. K.
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