Ciaran Hinds in "The Seafarer"

Irish actor Ciaran Hinds has paved out quite a memorable history both on film and the stage, playing a slew of unforgettable characters that live on in the imagination long after the last curtain has fallen and the stage has gone dark. His efforts in the Broadway play "The Seafarer," which was written by Conor McPherson, are another perfect example of his grasp and depth as an actor. The play, which hit Broadway back in 2007, was a story about five alcoholics who gather together for what turns into an interesting game of poker, with unusually high stakes for those at the table.

The story behind the "The Seafarer"

The play itself is about five Irish drunks who come together on Christmas eve, and start a game of poker that is instigated by a rather devilish character, Mr. Lockheart, played by Ciaran Hinds. The other actors make up two brothers that live in the home, Richard Harkin and Sharkey, and friends of the Harkins, Nicky Giblen and Ivan Curry. The story follows a night of raucous drinking and poker playing and the musings of the group. The hook is that unbeknownst to the group, Mr. Lockheart is none other than the Devil himself. Ciaran Hinds plays the demon, who is using a borrowed body for the evening of drinking and festivities with the other men present that evening.

As the play progresses, Hinds' adaptation of the devil incarnate gives the play a sense of secular realism that invades the mood of the group onstage, while adding yet another dimension to the acting ability and respect that the Irish actor commands.