REVIEW: Cyprus Avenue

REVIEW: Cyprus Avenue

The Irish are a very passionate people. They can be quirky, poetic, romantic – and they can be horrendously, blindly violent. David Ireland’s play about a Northern Irish family dealing with the residual effects of The Troubles shows just how extreme these emotions can get.

Eric (Roy Barker) is a staunch, immovable British Loyalist who is tormented with resentment towards the Republicans. His wife Bernie (Jude Gibson) and daughter Julie (Amanda McGregor) have accepted neutrality and even admit to having Catholic friends (anathema to Eric!). The family has recently welcomed a granddaughter, but when Julie presents her to Eric he recoils, exclaiming that the baby is, in fact, the reincarnation of Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams. This delusion swirls around him in a maelstrom of anxiety and sudden angry outbursts.

The play begins with Eric in a psychiatrist’s office. Bridget (Branden Christine) has had Eric assigned to her after an incident which is slowly revealed to us through reenactments. Lloyd Allison-Young makes an appearance as Slim, a young, hot-headed loyalist radical brandishing a gun. His scenes provide much of the levity in the play, although, despite the subject matter, the script is actually very humorous. Humorous enough that it leaves the audience completely unprepared for the shocking, very confronting scenes as the plot reaches boiling point.

The performances are excellent, with Barker commendable in a challenging, complex role that has him on stage virtually the entire time. Christine is also exceptional, offsetting Barker’s character with coolness, nuance, incisive critique. The intimacy of the Old Fitz Theatre brings the action up close, allowing for subtleties in performance. It’s a double-edged sword, however, and it’s only fair to warn people that, while it’s not especially bloody, what occurs in the play may be overwhelming for some. The script is excellent and very thought-provoking; in context, the extremities feel credible, even probable – and that makes it even more powerful. 

Until Jun 8. The Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo. $35-$55+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.redlineproductions.com.au

 

Reviewed by Rita Bratovich.

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