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Madeira: The Secrets of Sisters – Bewley’s Café Theatre, Dublin

Reviewer: Elizabeth O’Gorman

Writer: Michael J. Hartnett

Director: Vinnie McCabe

Fill your lunchtime with a slice of life at Bewley’s Café Theatre’s latest treat. Will madeira materialise as a sad sponge or an exotic location?

In The Secrets of Sisters, two sets of two sisters meet in Bewley’s Café and through their conversations their life stories unfold. In each of the two scenarios, a truth is told which necessitates a reassessment of the past. The third and final scene interweaves the links between the four characters, bringing the lunchtime play to a well knitted conclusion.

A doyen of Irish TV and theatre, Geraldine Plunkett creates a stylish character, Angela, who contrasts with her dowdy sister Betty, played by the indomitable Deirdre Monaghan. Later Monaghan re-emerges as Lu, sister to Mona, played by an energising, comedic Brenda Brooks.

The location of much of the play, in Bewley’s café, is conveyed through a roughhewn, Indian style, wooden screen when a more delicate, oriental screen would be more compatible with the setting. Under the even direction of Vinnie McCabe, each of the three actresses gets equal stage time, although the play would also work well as a two-hander. The smooth transitions between scenes enables a seamless engagement with the characters’ lives. Plays with significant roles for mature actresses are scarce and it’s a pity these characters are somewhat stereotypical; the middle-class women are emotionally impoverished and the comedy lies with the lower-social-status sisters’ classic one-liners.

Michael J. Hartnett has tackled an era where the expectation for women was a life focused on family. Through the disparity in the life experiences and personalities of the characters, we catch a glimpse of the limited lives of Irish women in the latter half of the last century. A unifying theme is the unintentional injustice meted out to women from different sectors of Irish society as the primary care givers in their families. The unpaid, thankless housework role contrasts with paid employment. A job now offers an escape route from an unsatisfactory marriage for Mona and in the past offered freedom to travel to Angela.

Should Angela’s future be broiling in the heat of Madeira or boiling eggs for her man? Go find some food for thought at this satisfying lunchtime performance.

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The Ireland team is currently under the editorship of Laura Marriott. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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