Eugene O'Brien's first play, Eden, was the biggest new writing hit in Ireland in recent years (though it fared less well in London). This sophomore effort represents an attempt to move forward thematically and stylistically. Whereas Eden consisted of side-by-side monologues, this is a plot-and character-driven play that attempts to embody characters interrogating themselves and each other about what keeps them functioning.
It's the closing night of a small town's local cinema, and the owner's son David, now a thirtysomething soap actor in Dublin, returns to commemorate the occasion with the elderly usher, Andy, who was a surrogate parent figure to young, motherless, Davey. There are shades of The Weir in this setup: characters placed in a situation where they are compelled to tell stories. But while the anecdotes advance the action, they contribute to a sense of nostalgia which battles with the play's psychological impulses.
Another conflicting factor is the heightened pitch of Conall Morrison's production: the actors are wrought up from the get-go, and the decibel level in the second act becomes nearly unbearable. The small, sad, personal truths that the characters reveal seem inadequate to the emotion they provoke. But individual performances from Fergal McElherron, John Olohan, and particularly Eamon Morrissey are well-wrought.
This theme is well-trodden in modern Irish drama, as is the Ireland-is-changing motif. Is it too much to wish for a play that imagines a different reality; a new way forward?
· Until June 5. Box office: 00-353-1-878-7222.
