Sickle Moon Productions, 'TACTICS'

What starts as a believable examination on prejudices facing women in their professional lives becomes a disjointed murder cover up.  

Theatre Upstairs
Jun 17-28


I don't have time to write a full review of TACTICS by Jed de Brí and Finbarr Doyle.

This second play as part of Sickle Moon Productions' residency in Theatre Upstairs presents us with Medbh, a political candidate who is running to replace the seat of her deceased father. Nessa Matthews' considered performance instils the reality of perceptions and prejudices facing women in their professional lives. 

The play then takes a disjointed turn as Kieran Roche's flirtatious beau is revealed as an extramarital lover, then stabbed by the home-early-from-work husband played by Finbarr Doyle. The lunge for the knife is too great a leap, as nothing in Doyle's performance or the writing builds to the extraordinary decision. 

As with previous play Slippers, de Brí and Doyle write good dialogue but can't raise the action and retain credibility. "All my life I have done the right thing" says the person who is about to cover up a murder. 

TACTICS doesn't convince and it isn't original; It's hardly a revelation to Irish audiences that politicians are susceptible to corruption and cover ups.

What did everybody else think?

Turnaround Productions, 'On City Water Hill'

An IFTA-winning producer thinks big as he seeks help from a hitman for his next feature.

Theatre Upstairs

May 6-17

I don't have time to do a full review of On City Water Hill by Philip St John.

Set on a hillside overlooking Dublin, the play presents an exchange between an IFTA-winning producer and a professional hitman. The producer (in a furious turn from Neil Fleming) claims to be researching for a big screen feature.

What unravels is a revenge thriller with one major problem - if there is a clear hero in Pat Nolan's hitman we never worry or root for him. While it sees male violence being industrialised, the play doesn't deliver any powerful insight into such a reality. It feels more like a polemic, as the producer - a walking epitome of Celtic Tiger ideals - ends up with a gun to his head. 

The playwright hasn't gripped the emotional arcs of the work (Fleming is blasting his material to pieces trying to make it transform). Weaknesses in the writing aside, the performances are quite solid. Liam Halligan's direction moves things along smoothly and Laura Kelly's brave set design doesn't seek naturalistic conviction, as symmetrical blue panels tacked to the theatre wall suggest a sky. It makes you wonder if On City Water Hill would be better off with a more stylised form.

What did everybody else think?

Sickle Moon Productions, 'Slippers': Mommie Dearest

New play Slippers softly squeaks by but how can it raise the stakes? 

Theatre Upstairs
Mar 25-Apr 5


I mostly enjoyed Slippers by Jeda de Brí and Finbarr Doyle, the first play as part of the Sickle Moon Productions residency at Theatre Upstairs.

The subject of compulsive hoarding, of the inability to discard objects of distress, is dealt with in this drama about two sisters sorting through the cluttered home of their just-deceased mother.

What's immediately striking is the set design, easily the most impressive I've seen in this venue. The wallpaper is peeling off the wall as the small performance area conforms to designer Aoife Fealy's realisation of a storage room chocked full of boxes. 

The form sustains as the constant introduction of props and visuals, combined with strong performances and smart dialogue, keeps us engaged. 

It succeeds in its subtlety, especially in Katie McCann's discreet reveal of a traumatised daughter. It's a shame then that it exaggerates towards the end, throwing at us wild provocations including a big description of the mother as a tyrant. It's too great a leap. 

When Slippers trod softly it engaged but once it felt heightened I didn't buy it. It felt like it needed more restraint in raising the stakes.

What did everybody else think?