WHEN Jake and Charlie pick up work as extras on the filum being made in their corner of Co Kerry, they find themselves rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty and hoping that some of the stardust might come their way.

Stones in his Pockets, which came to The Courtyard last week, was a joy from start to finish, a total coup de theatre, as a cast of two - outstandingly talented - actors created a cast of more than 10 characters, each of them clearly defined and instantly recognisable with no more than a subtle change of accent and a distinctive mannerism.

Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn (David Caves and Jack Reynolds) were the two locals, glad to have work as extras on The Quiet Field for £40 a day, and through them, we learned of the impact the movie-makers have on the village.

When that impact takes a tragic turn, it becomes painfully clear how little regard the film people have for the community they’re using for their own ends as they cajole and threaten by turns to keep them all from the funeral of one of their own.

For Charlie and Jake, though, there’s a silver lining in the cloud of the lad with stones in his pockets when they find inspiration and hope for the future from his story.

It’s easy to see why Stones in his Pockets has been garlanded with awards - it’s clever, moving and very funny - the Irish dancing extraordinary as the two actors wove their way through a virtual troupe of dancers and their turn as turf-diggers in front of the camera were particularly memorable. Languid and dripping insincerity, David Caves’ Caroline Giovanni was hilarious as was Jack Reynolds’ Aisling with her puppy-dog eagerness to please her bosses.

The fact that, without uttering a word, every character could take a curtain call to rapturous applause was testament to the brilliance of the acting - the only downside was that Stones in his Pockets was at The Courtyard for just one night because it’s one of those shows you want everyone to see.