The Book of Condolences - Review

“The Book of Condolences”:

In a story of unconventional friendships,

framed by love, loss and acceptance,

there is an empty coffin.

Who will lie in that coffin?

That’s the tale to be told.

Cast:

The Grim Reaper: Aislinn Ni Uallachain

Tom/ Napoleon: Owen O’Gorman

Margo/ the Fairy Godmother: Louise Dunne

Paul: Daniel O’Brien

Sarah: Suzanne Cooper

Director: Vincent Smith

Producer: Jillian Connolly

Writer: Kieron Connolly

Monaincha Theatre was established in 2015 with the intention of providing a forum for new talent by allowing them to showcase their skills in a supportive and innovative environment.

“The Book of Condolences” (the debut play of novelist Kieron Connolly, directed by Vincent Smith) acts as the launch for Monaincha Theatre and runs from the 22nd February 2016 to the 27th February 2016 in Teatre@26, The Teachers Club.

A story of unconventional friendships, love, loss and acceptance it is centered around 5 eccentric characters who are each struggling with their own pasts and working to find their own meanings.

The play is set in a funeral home, complete with empty coffin, but the question from the outset is who exactly is the coffin for?

Is it for Paul (played by Daniel O’Brien), a struggling talent agent who is trying to come to terms with lost love? Or is it for Tom (Owen O’Gorman) or Margo (Louise Dunne), struggling actors with traumatic pasts?

Don’t let the synopsis fool you however. “The Book of Condolences” is warm, funny, passionate, a little bit mental and utterly gripping.

O’Brien’s portrayal of Paul is captivating and raw. He opens the show and sets the pace. His interactions with O’Gorman’s Tom and Dunne’s Margo are wonderful and altogether believable but it is the scene in which he speaks to Sarah (Suzanne Cooper), the woman who broke his heart, which will grip an audience. The heartbreak and confusion are so effortlessly conveyed that it is impossible not to feel for his character as he struggles to let go of his past relationship.

The dynamic and chemistry between O’Gorman and Dunne’s respective characters is beyond wonderful to witness. The comedy was natural and the friendship between the two was warm and inviting. It was through this dynamic that I fell for their characters and became fully invested in them.  The Grim Reaper (played by Aislinn Ni Uallachain) also joins in on the mayhem of the story to aid characters to come to their final realisations.

Fast paced interactions, some slapstick comedy and excellent staging all add to this show’s likability but if I, as a reviewer, was to pick out this show’s most redeeming quality it would have to be Louise Dunne.

Dunne’s Margo was magnificent, from her zany entrance as the singing fairy godmother to the end of the story, she entertained. She made me laugh, she made me cry. I found myself wanting her to speak more, I wanted to know everything about her. She commanded the stage with every movement and she should be commended for this performance.

I cannot recommend this show highly enough; original theatre from a new theatre group that deserves to be seen. Don’t miss it!

Running until Saturday 27th February, tickets are available here.