Goodbye to Marie – Review by Frank L.

Written by Joe O’Neill

Civic Theatre – Wed, 3rd – Sat, 6th June 2015 // 8:15pm

Their Mother is dying after a long illness and is entering her final stretch. Needless to say she cared for by her sole daughter. Her two sons are called as the end cannot be far way. The three siblings are therefore alone with each other. They each have issues with each other particularly the two sons who have a mutual loathing. The daughter, Sarah, tries to keep the peace but she too has issues with both.

There is also the shadowy figure of the father who walked out of the family about ten years previously leaving them to fend for themselves. As the Mother lies dying off stage, the three siblings are forced to face each other. The verbal sparring between them takes on elements of black comedy as MJ, money orientated, and Butler, creative and artistic, attack verbally each other. The language they use is not politically correct. Sarah oscillates between the two and also has her own difficulties with both and her own dreams to seek fulfilment in life.

The play is in three acts and the first two acts keep up a pretty effective pace and reflect the sort of rows a dysfunctional family might have. Because the life of each has been so different, the comic is allowed full rip notwithstanding the Mother is in the next door room dying. The interaction between the actors is quickfire as they attack. Every now and again there is a cease fire which has been brokered by Sarah.  In the third act they find out more about their past. The comedy disappears as reality strikes.