Perhaps the reason American plays have their world premieres in Dublin is because there just aren’t enough of them in America? watch the sunan AboutFACE production at Smock Alley, Dublin.
Writer Emily Bohannon fills a weekend beach house reminiscent of the US East Coast with lots of narcissistic people. Their declared intention is to “have fun”, but they are (of course) cluttered and looking for trouble.
For Tabitha, she’s (understandably) fed up with her quickie husband. For Ronalda, who is also bored, it’s sleeping on the way out of parenting fatigue.
Added to the rounded edges is a “serious” examination of the human psyche. |I’m not kidding. in a play that has a very tame 1970s sex farce format. Like: Barney and Tabitha have an imaginary child they’re worried about. (I am the creator of Edward Albee. Who is Virginia Woolf afraid of? turn his grave).
And Vaughan, recently divorced, is following his therapist’s instructions to write letters and speak aloud to future girlfriends he hasn’t met yet. Complete with filthy bed linen from tenants (funny: not.)
And invading from the house next door are Gay Michael and Straight Michael, Australian friends from kindergarten who have always shared a home while failing in their quest for love. I am touring America with that in mind.
And of course there’s the screaming and the misunderstandings and the panic over nothing and the very funny (?) sequence where everyone stops for the bell to ring at 5pm to start drinking. Oh, and holding a grumpy teenager who isn’t grumpy at all and who seems a little too old to hold his brother and sister’s hand.
video of the day
Oh yes. Frustrations are sorted out and the bonking begins.
We actually have that moment in the second half, but we need the pen of the dramaturge. watch the sun at least by half.
Director Kathleen Warner Yates doesn’t deliver much humor. Much of the slapstick isn’t out of place, but what’s more, the series of dialogue delivered in a linear format throughout the stages lacks a lot of imagination overall.
And while the cast is visibly strained to do their best, there’s a sense that they don’t really have a combined purpose.
And while budget is a perennial issue for “fringe on fringe” companies like AboutFACE, Cathyan Murphy’s set of single wide panels, like thin, unstable cardboard, allows for a little more imaginative lighting. could have been improved.
Seeing the Sun will be in Smock Alley until September 3rd, then move to Civic in Tallaght.
Aisling Omalaz next person Last summer we performed at St Stephen’s Green as part of Bewley’s Cafe Theater’s walkabout season. Now 50% of the cast has been changed and moved to theaters.
This time it’s significantly different, but it’s still pretty much the same fun. Joe is a Tesco checkout operator who has a healthy lesbian sex life after breaking up a short marriage.
near
Hazel Clifford and Aisling O’Mara of ‘Next Please’ perform at the Viking Theater in Dublin.Photo by Michael David McKernan
Melissa is a nurse who was dumped by her (male) fiancée two years ago and heartbreak rears its head again after hearing that his new relationship had his baby. In the interim, they arranged to meet at the bandstand after flirting in the store.
What follows is a surefire cracker in comedy crossed with modern wisdom to survive modern embarrassment. Desperately searching for connections below. It’s a smart game, but it’s also a fun game.
Hazel Clifford replaced Sarah Morris as Joe and continued as author Melissa. It changed the balance, and director Isolt Golden allowed Clifford a more aggressive interpretation than his predecessor. It reduces the certainty of the outcome and increases the overall severity.
But on Andrew Murray’s set, lit by Colm Marr, it’s still a pretty undiluted delight.
