Star of the Sea is an emotional trip on a famine ship

A stage version of Joseph O’Connor’s Star Of The Sea novel focuses on the character of housemaid Mary Duane, writes Colette Sheridan

STAGING a play without a director sounds like sailing a ship without a captain but for Galway-based Moonfish Productions, the approach seems to work.

The company, which has adapted Joseph O’Connor’s acclaimed novel, Star of the Sea, for the stage, favours “a democratic approach” when it comes to developing a play. But as one of the ensemble cast, Morgan Cooke says: “When you think about democracy, you don’t always think about how painful it can be. An idea can be good but it has to go if it doesn’t fit the shape of the thing or it’s not quite part of the narrative line. If there’s disagreement, it’s settled with a show of hands rather than one person having the final decision.”