Dublin by Lamplight

Review by Otis Doran (1st Year)

On the 10th March this year our class went to a play in our National Theatre, the Abbey. The play was called “Dublin by lamplight”. Most of us went, and I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed myself. The play was set in Dublin during 1904. The play was about this man called William, who had written a play called ‘The Wooing of Eimear’. His brother, Frank, played Cú Chulainn in it, but in real life was a terrorist. Maggie worked in the theatre doing costumes and when a woman called Eva was in jail she filled in her part in the play. Eva had signed the lease for the theatre earlier in the play but after the first showing of the play it was called off because it was too sensitive towards the king, hinting at Ireland’s freedom. In the end, everything falls apart for the characters. William is shot, having been mistaken for a IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) member. Frank goes to Liverpool and leaves Maggie with their baby in Dublin. Eva is still trying to help people in need, roaming around the streets of Dublin, and Martin ended up drinking. Overall I would rate this play a nine out of ten. All of the actors were very strong in their multiple roles and the switching of roles was so seamless you might not know they were the same six actors. All the actors also changed their voice and tone with different roles and that also added to the realness. Each of the actors also narrated their own part in the play, and as well as that just making things clearer, it also allowed for some very funny moments in the play while they talked about themselves in the third person. My favourite character was William because I thought he could be very funny at times, and help lighten the mood. The use of the spotlight really helped the audience to focus on the main event, this also takes the attention away from the other characters changing. A pianist was playing music the whole play that was appropriate to the mood at that point which sometimes gave a bit of an eerie or creepy atmosphere. The play had a very simple background, a bare brick wall. This allowed the scenes to take place in drastically different
places just by shining a certain type of light at it. Such as no light in a dark ally, or white light on O’Connell’s street at midday. All of the actors had white face paint and black facial features like large eyebrows and big mouths painted on their faces. I didn’t think this was necessary and it took away from times when it might have been better to just see the actor’s actual faces and their own expressions. Again, overall the actors were very good and the play had a strong plot. The play also allows for some much needed, at times, comic relief. I would advise this play for all teens and above in age, and younger children who are mature and accompanied by an adult. The visit to the Abbey was once again a very enjoyable experience for our class.