Writer: Edward Albee
Director: Shaun Elebert
The Zoo Story, and the work of Edward Albee in general, is often miscategorised as being part of the Theatre of the Absurd, due in no small part to its inclusion in Martin Esslin’s ground-breaking book of the same name. This perception was no doubt aided by the fact that the play, Albee’s first work, debuted in a double bill with Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape in 1959, but the label has become limiting in the intervening decades. In truth, Albee was never an Absurdist in the style of Beckett or Ionesco, or even Pinter; his work contained an essentially American optimism that broke through to see a brighter future, and rejected the temptation to find humour in endless despair.
Judder’s production of The Zoo Story captures this dynamic perfectly, while also reworking the play to be a gripping commentary on contemporary Ireland. Publishing executive Peter (the perfectly uptight and upstanding Stephen Kelly) wants to spend Sunday afternoon reading on a bench, but Jerry (Vincent Patrick in a beany and shaggy beard) won’t let him – he wants to talk, or rather, ask Peter endless questions.
Originally set in New York, the locations are adjusted to refer to Dublin, and amid a nationwide housing and homelessness crisis, the interaction between two men of such different means is forceful and poignant – Jerry describes a miserable housing situation, to which the oblivious Peter replies, “Why do you live there?” This isn’t the bleak fun and games of Vladimir and Estragon, this is dialogue that likely occurs thousands of times a day in 2023’s Ireland.
The space above Chaplin’s is tiny and cramped, but that suits such an intimate two-hander. The sounds of the Luas and traffic straight outside do not detract from the experience, but place us even further into the world. Both actors play their characters to perfection, as they represent mania and menace, and restraint and fear. The conclusion, as Jerry forces Peter to stab him, thus finally achieving human connection, is somewhat rushed, but this is also a function of how this brief play was written. Funny, humane, brutal, and relevant, this is a vital production of a great American play.
Runs until 20th May 2023.
The Review's Hub Score
Enlightening
