Writer: Michael Hilliard Mulcahy
Director: Padraic McIntyre
“He eventually told me what he saw on the mountain road that night…”
Along with their performances in the sold-out run of Joyce’s The Dead at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), John Cronin and Roseanna Purcell hold you spellbound in this two-hander lunchtime performance of Robin and Dawn.
Robin and Dawn is about a couple suffering through family bereavement leading to cracks in their marriage. These gauge deeper after Robin experiences a brain altering vision of sorts one night. The pair engage in solo spiritual quests, aided by narrative monologue, to seek out what they’re lacking in life. Robin tries desperately to connect to his music days, sucking everyone around him into this tuneless pit while Dawn longs for moments of love and passion in a romantic and familial sense. This is an attempt to fix themselves and thus their marriage but when they find themselves back in the same room, tensions still quake.
Michael Hilliard Mulcahy’s script is a two-hander narrative monologue, with each character taking turns in illustrating their day to day, refusing to communicate with their spouse in any way. The script highlights this dispute as they even speak for the other while narrating conversations. This dynamic is aided by Padraic McIntyre’s clever directing and use of space.
For a tight space to play with, McIntyre creatively weaves the character’s lives through it, taking in all it has to offer. McIntyre has a great understanding of knowing when the characters need to communicate directly with the audience and when to paint us a picture within their world. Cronin and Purcell stay consistent to their characters’ traits throughout, with moments of comedy brilliantly expressed. However, in high tension circumstances comes a fast pace in speech leading moments to lack breath and presence.
Helen Foy’s minimalistic yet effective set shows us only what we need to see, just enough for the imagination to take over. The choices of set pieces perfectly ties the characters to their meaning and place, acting as their own podium or hot seat. Paddy Farrelly’s lighting design is striking with vivid moments yet appears at times too much. With such naturalistic performances, bold lighting choices can be overwhelming in such an intimate space. However, a stand out lighting moment appears when Robin revisits the vision forcing the room to stand still. HK Ní Shioradáin’s sound design is realistic, making the performance even more enticing and aiding the spectators imagination in building this wide world.
A beautiful motif in the piece is the encouragement of connecting to your pagan ancestors and to listen to their guidance. In a time heavily reliant on tech Robin and Dawn reminds us to connect with our roots and to put trust in one another. This piece isn’t just about marriage, it emphasises the importance of communication and the power of healing, if one is willing to release the past.
Runs Until 31st Jan 2026.
