“We did it, we made it through the night together…”
How can you piece together the fragmented mosaic of a life with only the most jagged pieces at your disposal? The shards so sharp they can still draw blood, or tears, at the tail end of a lifetime. The pangs that linger and define a person when all else has been dulled. In this, the latest revival of his textured, verbose, sweetly melancholy play, Ross Dungan poses, at a break-neck speed, these existential questions through a this-is-your-afterlife grilling of his weary protagonist, and the world which springs from his memory.
The middle-aged Eric Argyle (Dave McEntegart) is struck by a car travelling at 67mph and wakes up in a sort of interrogative purgatory, a place where, under the stern direction of a semi-celestial bureaucrat (Rachel Gleeson), and her jittery assistant, Julia (Erica Murray), he must fill in the blanks of his life’s painfully formative experiences. Meanwhile, back on earth, a frazzled young woman (Karen Sheridan) receives to her door over five thousand mysterious envelopes, each containing a single page from the story of our recently deceased hero’s life. Across town, at Eric’s graveside, his uncle, the authoritarian speech therapist Mr.Aldershot (a brilliantly larger-than-life Davey Kelleher), and former employer-cum-mentor, Mr.Downey (Manus Halligan), keep a tense and increasingly desperate vigil.
Throughout its 90 minute running time this production (recently nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award for Best New Play) glows with warmth and smiling sorrow. The stage is designed like a ramshackle den, its moveable feast of cosy artefacts- lamps, worn oak drinks cabinets, toppled tables and wobbly chairs- creeping backwards and forwards in the dim light. Actors take turns stepping out of character to voice the chorus, or strum and plink dreamy background music on the instruments that lie around the edges of the scene. Even without words there is a flowing sensuousness, a richness of feeling created in this attention to detail.
Still, in many ways this is a play obsessed with words: words left unsaid, words used to control and liberate, words hidden away in sealed envelopes, best man speeches and headstone messages and stifled professions of undying love. Dungan’s own words are woven with a brilliantly dexterous touch. He knows when to play for laughs, when to raise and lower the volume or cut dead a hypnotic rant before our focus wanes. He finds humour in these hopeless places, strategically planted release valves in Eric’s increasingly painful landscape of memory. The perky narration between past and present events allows the actors to flex and transform, and moves the action along at pace before a quiet moment of intimacy freezes the room in rapt attention. A scene in which young Eric (Emmet Kirwan) and the girl he has always loved (Siobhan Cullen) come agonisingly close to happiness is a captivating, emotionally honest piece of writing and performance, worth the admission price on its own.
Imaginatively constructed, skilfully directed, passionately acted, funny, tragic, and uplifting, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle is a triumph.
Venue: Smock Alley Theatre
Dates: 14-26 January
Time: 7:30pm (Sat 19th Matinée 2:30pm) – Post show discussion 22nd January
Tickets: €15/€12conc
Booking Info: Tel:(01) 6770014 / www.smockalley.com
Elsewhere…
“Brilliant…. magical… the acting is superb… a witty and heart-warming tale of life, death, love and friendship.”
BROADWAY BABY
“A delightful gem of a play… director Dan Herd plays this piece at a fast pace, almost a race against time, that gives the play energy and dynamism… beautiful characters, each one totally believable, and it’s a sheer joy to watch. This is captivating and immersive theatre.”
BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“Fresh and spirited… poignant without becoming sentimental, seasoned generously with humour and populated by memorable characters. Life and death are the oldest of themes, but 15th Oak treats the subject with energy and originality, delivered with director Dan Herd’s adept touch.”
IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE
“Absolutely unmissable. The play is epic in scale, featuring eight multi-talented actors juggling various roles in an ever increasing pace. The tragedy and comedy of the piece are so well balanced that you don’t even notice their flow, with every exchange considered and true to life. Like a book you devour and then mourn as you read the last page, it carries you along with such sincerity and good intent that when the end hits you, the emotional wave breaks gently and wide. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Do not miss it.”
ENTERTAINMENT.IE