Writer: Barry McKinley
Director: Liam Halligan
A painted canvas depicting an arid desert scene acts as a perfect backdrop and setting for this one-act play, Elysium Nevada by Barry McKinley.
In Greek mythology, Elysium was a section of the underworld; unlike the gloomy Hades, it was a sun-drenched paradise reserved as a destination for anyone who lived a righteous life and was considered a place of ‘perfect happiness’ inherited by the virtuous.
The title of the piece clarifies the play’s theme. We are introduced to three elderly residents of a nursing home, Bob, Michael, and Constance, who sit in their wheelchairs in a straight line like Beckett characters reminiscing about their former lives outside Elysium. In sharp, witty dialogue, the characters exchange memories, but beneath their banter lies abandonment and loss as they grapple with being relegated to a nursing home and rejected by their families in the latter years of their lives.
In the rising action of the play, the elements of drama exist within the inner world of the character Bob (Michael James Forde), who suffers from dementia, believes that he is surrounded by an alternate world of his own making, peopled by Mike (Mark O’Regan) and Constance (Bairbre Ni Chaoimh). Constance, dressed in an opulent headdress and costume reminiscent of silent movie star Gloria Swanson, is another construct in Bob’s mind.
Liam Halligan’s tight direction choreographs the movement of the three wheelchair-bound characters in a tiny stage space, driving the action forward relentlessly in a dance of nostalgia and wheeling memory. Forde and O’Regan maintain a frenzied tempo in a rapid succession of volatile exchanges orchestrated by their inner ageing helplessness and feelings of abandonment. Ni Chaoimh’s Constance counterbalances the masculine energy of the two male characters in a beautifully enunciated soft American accent. Ni Chaoimh also designed the costumes, capturing the essence of characters trapped in a landscape of desert and sand.
Lighting design by Colm Maher vividly conveys the acrid blazing heat of the desert. Sound effects by Ewan Cowley of a desert storm support the inner turmoil of the characters’ minds.
Movement of actors’ voices, direction, and production values act as a cohesive ensemble powerfully transmitting a well-defined and meaningful message on mental health issues.
Runs Until 30th March 2026.
