Album Review by F Piralla
The movie THE ACTORS tells the story of two struggling actors who are taking part in a Dublin production of Shakespeare’s Richard III and Anthony O’Malley (Michael Caine, while supposedly seeking inspiration for his performance as the evil Richard III at one of Dublin’s more notorious pubs, gets him and his fellow actor Tom (Dylan Moran) involved in illicit doings. The soundtrack illustrates just that with 19 pop/folk tracks performed by various artists.
Most of the music is composed by the world famous Michael Nyman Band formerly known as the Campiello Band for their performance in the Goldoni’s play CAMPIELLO at the National Theatre in 1976. Irish film director Conor McPherson wrote five songs for this film as well as directing it, which bring a Celtic flavour to the soundtrack.
It is not the kind of album that everybody would buy unless they are devoted supporters of the Michael Nyman Band. It’s more of a collectors’ item that will find a place on the shelf of the music lover regardless to personal taste. The artists’ performance is outstanding and it certainly deserves some credit. It’s an atypical album and it would make more sense to the listener if you have seen the film as well
