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Outside Mullingar

Outside Mullingar

Kicking off the year on a lovely, sweet note is the Fortune’s Outside Mullingar. The show follows Antony and Rosemary, neighbours in rural Ireland (fittingly, not far from Mullingar, the home of One Direction’s Niall Horan), in a touching and affective love story that I don’t think anybody could hate.

Every single person who worked on this production needs to be commended for their use of restraint. From the direction through to the design, each person allows the humanity and simplicity of the piece to shine through, keeping in mind that simple is often difficult to achieve, particularly in this case.

Matthew Morgan’s sound design is absolutely beautiful, gently supporting the work; but make sure to pay close attention, it’s sure got some hidden gems in it. The same is true for Martyn Roberts’ lighting design, the effect created by the hanging lights is fantastic; they serve as a sort of an implied ceiling and starry night sky at the same time, all the while being just really pretty. The subtle introduction of colour throughout the show is very effective also; again it gently supports the action on stage, rather than being a show in itself.

The fact that Lisa Warrington pulled out some great direction is, of course, no surprise. One aspect that I worried about in the beginning however, was the pacing; particularly act one, which likes to take its time. But after letting the show work on me for a bit, it becomes apparent that it isn’t slow, it’s lovely and measured and reflects the pace of life in rural Ireland, which can only be a good thing if, like most of us, your day to day life is anything but as peaceful as this.

The whole cast work together beautifully; Brophy is cuttingly hilarious as Aoife Muldoon, O’Connor’s Tony Reilly is particularly touching as Antony’s father (go see it, you’ll know what I mean). MacGregor and Vaughan’s relationship, as Rosemary and Antony, is truly beautiful. It’s a bit of a long and slightly quirky love story, but really shows that it isn’t ever too late for love. The pair really sells it, and it’s just lovely to watch.

Again I want to come back to the point I made at the beginning, that simple doesn’t mean easy, and there is no better proof of that than the work of these true professionals in this production. Each step in the chain has held themselves back, just enough, to let this sweet, touching script really shine. And boy does it shine; it may not be a massive, complex work, but it doesn’t need to be, it needs to be funny and touching, and I think the end result is sweet as honey.

Outside Mullingar runs through until the 28th of February at the Fortune Theatre.

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Lungs Review

  Let me start off by saying that from having read the piece before seeing it, LUNGS comes across as a little bit . . . middle class. Seeing the piece however, opens up the world of two flawed but deeply human characters and engages you in a hilarious and poignant story that everyone can relate to in some way.

The play opens in IKEA (of course) with an ever burning questions for all long standing couples, “is it time we have a baby?” What follows is a fast paced series of “do we or don’t we” style negotiations about everything from eugenics to adoption, backed by every conceivable pro and con. But before you have time to think that these characters talk too much, you realise that you’ve had these same conversations, the same kind of moments with your own significant other.

This is the brilliance of Duncan Macmillan’s writing. All the big moments are there, peeing on a stick and phoning the parents, but it’s in the small moments that his talent shines. He captures those moments that we might usually pass off as insignificant, turning the tap on while she pees on the stick, or that ravenous look he gives you during sex, and constructs an honest and heartfelt world of two incredibly captivating characters. And at the core of it all is a question we all face, regardless of our relationship status; “Am I a good person?”

Performers Todd Emerson and Claire Dougan cannot be commended enough for their commitment to this piece. To hold an audience’s attention for an hour and a half is no easy feat, but the two pull it off with aplomb. There was a slight grace period where it took them a while to get into the rhythm of the piece; transitions ruined by overplayed gestures (no one ever genuinely falls over from shock) and jokes played for the laughs. I’d put it down to opening night nerves. Once the two relax into it, the piece comes alive with wit and passion. The charisma the two share is thrilling to watch, and even at their most neurotic and self-centred moments, we can’t help but feel attracted to these charming characters.

Both performers have delved deep not just into what makes their own character tick, but also into the nuances of the other person that they share a stage with. To say the play simply “follows a relationship” is diminishing, when what these two offer us is two separate and incredibly well defined characters. Rather, it is a play about two people who get on tremendously well together, deciding if a relationship and its accompanying clichés are right for them. After all who can afford a kid when the planet is dying, right?

The Fortune Studio is definitely a stronger venue than the main stage would have been. It’s small enough to see the actors writhe and panic as they decide how many trees it’ll take to offset a child’s carbon footprint, and in a play that calls for no props or set, a larger space would have been pointless. In saying that the piece is supposed to be performed on a bare stage, designer Peter King can’t help but make a supportive and enriching design. A small circle of mirror strips surround the actors, physically recreating that sense of looking inward, of trying to find those answers to life’s difficult questions. This is picked up well by the actors, staring at themselves as they try to imagine their lives with a child named Edwin and a Ford Fiesta. Simple, but remarkably effective.

All in all, Lungs, the newest in the fortunes “True Grit Series” is a remarkable success. Everything hits the mark, and chances are you’ll leave the theatre thinking that your life wouldn’t be half bad if it ended up like this couple. Perhaps being a tree planting, fair trade coffee drinking, avocado eating, middle classer ain’t so bad after all.

Dan Goodwin 

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The New Tenant - Lunchtime Theatre Review

This week’s Lunchtime Theatre is the first of the pieces from the 2014 Honours directing class, starting with The New Tenant by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Audrey Morgan.

In a nutshell, The New Tenant, like most absurdist theatre, is about the pointlessness of existence. The play is simply about a man we only know as “the Gentleman” (James Caley), moving into a new apartment. There’s not a lot of plot, and for the later half of the play, not a lot of dialogue. However this isn’t one of those “why even carry on living, nothing means anything” sort of pieces, on the contrary, it’s, for want of a better word, a “nothing means anything so YOLO” sort of piece. Accessible absurdism, if you will.

Morgan’s direction is fantastic, her work is tight and well paced, and it keeps on pushing forward, without getting messy (which is impressive in a piece like this). Her decision to play up the humorous aspects was a smart choice; she presents something joyful, light and fun. Underneath there is still a clear connection to death, the image of a makeshift coffin is apparent, but Morgan doesn’t allow the viewer to dwell on this.

Hannah Port, as the bustling, gossipy Caretaker, deserves special mention for the sheer amount of energy she brings to the table. She’s hilarious, and very successfully carries a sizable monologue, about absolutely nothing, without ever easing off the throttle. Also great accent. An absolute gem.

Bene Stewart and Orion Carey-Clark do all the heavy lifting in this piece, literally, as the two furniture movers. They’re almost more like dancers than actors, moving in and around both each other and the props within the space. It is an absolute joy to watch. They bring a huge amount of charisma to the piece, which is hard when your part consists of moving furniture and saying “Sir” a lot, but somehow they manage to pull it off.

James Caley is the pillar that holds the show together; he has a quiet confidence that he brings to the character, which doesn’t come off as arrogant or cocky, and keeps the tone light. He shows real restraint, allowing the staging and other characters, to shine. There is also a subtle, slow building excitement within him, which keeps with the tempo of the show, that is so enjoyable to watch unfold on the stage. It is a testament to Caley’s skill as an actor, that he can make what is in actuality a challenging role, look so easy.

It is hard to describe why the individual components of The New Tenant are good; it’s how everything works together so seamlessly, that makes it successful. Watching the cast navigate the stage so skilfully is so entertaining. It’s funny, sometimes a little scary, and always slick and pacey. The sound and lighting provide great, simple backing and using the proscenium arch works brilliantly (also a radical choice, for Allen Hall at least). Morgan really should be proud of what she has achieved, definitely a highlight of this years Lunchtime Theatre season, and definitely a must see.

Jordan Dickson