Walk for Me  – Project Arts Centre – Review

Written and performed by: Kate Stanley-Brennan with DJ Handsome Paddy (Paddy O’Halpin) on decks

Mary-Jane is a young woman growing up in Dublin and this is her story. The play covers her early teenage years to her mid twenties, so it is a coming of age story. She was something of a wild child, growing up in south Dublin and visiting the local discos, discovering sex and alcohol. Her first love was always music. She performed in her school musical and loved being on stage. She eventually ended up in Trinity college and despite struggling with her studies, she made it through first year. From there, she went to New York for a summer on a J1 visa. There she discovered a new world; the club scene and the many crazy and wild people within it.

This one woman play was originally part of the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2017 and was one of the ‘Show in a Bag‘ series. It was performed in the small venue of Bewley’s Café Theatre. This new production is on the main stage of the Project Arts Centre and is a more lavish affair, with impressive lighting and visuals. The production has the unusual feature of a live DJ on stage throughout, with DJ Handsome Paddy adding to the proceedings.

There are graphics projected onto the back wall in certain dance scenes that are impressive and Kate interacts well with these images. She also has a strong voice and she sings over a backing track on some songs. The play has a number of original songs by artists such as MathMan, Bobofunk and MissKate.

With the music already thumping as you enter the theatre, there is more of a feel of a nightclub than a theatrical performance. There is a moment of quiet before writer/ performer Kate Stanley-Brennan takes to the stage. The play goes some way to capture the excitement of a dance club, but also features quieter moments of introspection and some scenes of sexual violence. It may have worked  better to develop the theme of sexual violence and its consequences, but the main character seems remarkably resilient throughout. The play really comes alive in the later section in New York where she discovers the wildness she always sought after. Theatre rarely takes on the world of dance music and this piece goes a long way to show this hedonistic scene to a new audience.

Duration: Approx. 85 mins
Warning: Contains strobe lighting, flashing lighting and loud noise.

Written and performed by: Kate Stanley-Brennan with DJ Handsome Paddy (Paddy O’Halpin) on decks
Directed by: Sarah Brennan
Original music from: MathMan (Adam Fogarty), Bobofunk (Johnny Brennan) and MissKate (Kate Stanley-Brennan)