This vibrant production by Landmark Productions in collaboration with Hatch
Theatre Company is well worth making every effort to see and experience this theatrical
presentation.
Emma Donoghue’s script is set in Ranelagh, Dublin 1927 and in New York
during the period 1949 to 1960s. The Scenographer cleverly and satisfactorily accommodates
all the performance areas in one multiplex set. The Ranelagh, Dublin 1927 set
is upstage centre, softened and visually isolated by partial screens. The New
York performance areas are downstage centre, left and right, with receding depth
achieved for the New York scenes by access corridor effects set into the
scenery on stage left and right of the upstage centre Dublin set.
The main character Maeve Brennan an Irish immigrant living in New York
and writing for the “The New Yorker” magazine, has reflective moments of
childhood in Ireland, catching memories, some disturbing for her “Irish Stories”.
These memory scenes are played out in the Ranelagh setting centre back by a
composite family of Mother, Father and Daughter (young girl). The action in
these scenes is presented as a manifestation of what is in Maeve Brennan’s mind’s
eye, with Maeve Brennan down stage right or centre thinking, writing or
imagining in her New York apartment. The
subtleness and the haunting effect is effectively lit by lighting designer Natasha
Chivers. The New York settings of Paul O’ Mahony’s concept have a bigness about
them that says enough for the audience fill in the canvas of their mind. O’Mahony’s
set and Chiver’s lighting allow the smartness and sharpness of costume designer
Peter O’Brien’s Manhattan costumes to not only support the characters,
personalities, gender, occupation and social economic standing but to support
the sense of time and place of the story. The importance of hair and make-up in
establishing the character’s personality, composure, presence and the time and
place of the scene can be seen in the hair and make-up work of make-up designer
Sharon Ennis.
For students of design for stage and screen attending the show, who can
tear their attention away from the gripping performances and give attention to
how the designers establish not only the visual style but how their work says
so much about the characters being performed.
The production was supported by the Irish Theatre Trust. http://www.dublintheatrefestival.com/friends/irish-theatre-trust.asp
Paul O’ Mahony Set Design http://paulomahonysetdesign.blogspot.ie/
Peter O’Brien:
http://www.peterobriendesign.com/about.html
Natasha Chivers: http://www.natashachivers.co.uk/
Sharon Ennis:
Hatch Theatre Company: http://hatchtheatrecompany.com/
Project Theatre: http://projectartscentre.ie/
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