Director: Sahand Sahebdivani
Sitting in this brightly lit, relaxed setting the audience were deliciously unaware of the beautiful meandering path of storytelling we were being led into. This is storytelling in it’s finest where the audience is brought into a whole other world and taken through layers of emotion and led to laugh out loud hysterically one moment and then shed tears in another.
The storytelling takes us from a melancholy story of family mental health issues to wonderful and weird Irish myths and legends that initially seem unconnected but then a realisation that the stories themselves were an escape from the reality of this incredibly difficult path for a young teenage girl.
Sinead O’Brien is an incredible actress and has refined the art of storytelling. The myths and legends she has intertwined with her own life experience have been fused into the narrative and you can see the skills she developed through her previous work as a Professional Storyteller at The National Leprechaun Museum, a folklore and mythology museum in itself.
The movement between the two different types of performance is sharp and nicely contrasted. The little character details and subtlety of expression on O’Brien’s face and in her gestures has every audience member hanging on, waiting, longing, for the next moment. Everything feels so real with her performance it is almost like we are experiencing it ourselves. She gives us permission to laugh at some very awkward moments and a peek into a very private world. Then in the next moment we are laughing hysterically at an unexpected use of a prop chair on the small stage.
The brightly lit room initially seemed to be an odd set up for a show, but as the performance begins it becomes clear that it is a very brave move both from a directing and performers point of view. O’Brien brings every person into the story. She makes eye contact with the audience as she tells the story and it feels so personal and so raw when you can see the tears welling up in her eyes. There is no darkness to hide in here. By brightening the room the darkness of the story is exposed for everyone to see as are the raw emotions and intimate details of the story.
It is a beautiful balancing act to add the hilarity of some of the lesser known adult only Irish myths and legends. O’Brien has both refined her acting skills and her storytelling skills and has created a very original piece of work here. Possibly she has set a trend to be followed and what a wonderful trend that would be!
Reviewed on 11th March 2024.
The Review's Hub Score
Legendary Irish Storytelling
