Low in the Dark – The Mart – Theatre Review

Low in the Dark is a play written by Marina Carr and first performed in 1989. It is an unusual play with no clear narrative, more a collection of ideas played out at length. There are two men, Baxter (David Greene) and Bone (Aaron Shiel), who are obsessed with building brick walls, cakes and of course women. There are also two women, Binder (Norma Howard) and Bender (Polly Lloyd), who talk about white wine, babies and men! Both groups act out scenes from their previous relationships in an idealised fashion, yearning for what they have lost. The final character of the set is Curtains (Julia Stipsits) who joins the other cast members at regular intervals to tell the story of a generic man and woman and their problems in the outside world. Curtain’s attire is slightly unusual, as it is in fact a set of red velvet curtains, along with a matching mask for her face.

This play is performed in the Mart, a space that is not a purpose built theatre but a converted arts space in Rathmines which was once the old fire station. The room that is used has three rows of seating and two exits with no clear back stage area. There is also no stage, so the actors are only inches away. This must have added to the complexity of the performance, but the actors use the space well and in truth you do not notice the limitations of the space.

The stage contains an unusual collection of items with a bath, toilet, brick wall and a few tyres all featuring. The five characters rarely appear on stage together and it is usually just the two men or the two women, with the aloof Curtains appearing on occasion. There is an obsession with gender roles and many discussions about the opposite sex. This play was written by Carr after her more famous work By the Bog of Cats, which was recently performed in the Abbey. It is a more unusual piece and it is hard to find a clear concept behind the work. It remains elusive throughout and keeps the audience guessing. The most impressive thing about this production is the bright and effervescent cast that play their roles with a wide-eyed manic glee.

Cast:
Curtains – Julia Stipsits
Binder – Norma Howard
Bender – Polly Lloyd
Baxter – David Greene
Bone – Aaron Shiel

Direction
Romana Testasecca