The Hare – Pavilion Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

Once Off Productions – The Hare – by Clare Monnelly and Bob Kelly
Photos by Cían Flynn

Jenny Whyte has created a set, for this sixty-minute insight into the life of a young woman, which is reminiscent of a Victorian illustration of a fairy tale. At many levels, it brings to mind childhood and times past with all of its nooks and crannies and out-of-scale features. Before the play begins, a fiddler sits in the centre of the stage. This fiddler is played by Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), who has also written the music for this production. He is armed with not one but two fiddles. He plays each of the fiddles, the sounds of which complement the fantasy of Whytes’ set.

Wickham moves from centre stage to an elevated perch where he is joined by Una ni Bhriain, who plays the young woman, the main protagonist of the piece. Wickham adds to his instruments an accordion and a bodhran which he utilises to heighten some of the scenes which the young woman begins to describe. She has had a solitary upbringing, living with her bedridden mother. Her childhood was marred by bullying from her classmates and she is an outcast in her rural community through no fault of her own. Into this challenging world, a letter arrives which gives her hope and inspiration that there is a more generous world to be discovered and enjoyed.

Ni Brhiain has the challenging task of being the sole voice on stage. In the initial stages, her words are illustrated by the accompaniment of Wickham on his array of various instruments. Later in the piece, as her memories become more diverse and varied, Wickham’s accompaniment becomes less prominent. Ni Bhriain has a most demanding text to deliver which to quote the publicity explores “social isolation and the modern disconnect from both the natural world & our unconscious nature”. These are big topics. Ni Bhriain at all times delivers the words as if they were part of her inner being, which is a fine achievement. The play is co-written by Bob Kelly who is also the director. The text is spoken after the letter arrives at a great intensity and rapid pace. The rapidity gives the audience little time to reflect on the varied aspects which the text raises. It requires intense concentration to keep up. Perhaps a greater variation of pace might make the life which the young woman is revealing more accessible on first viewing.

Monnelly, Kelly and Wickham have combined to create a challenging piece of theatre which ni Bhrian delivers with assurance. The part of the young woman is a huge one for any actor and particularly so for a young actor, which the text requires. Ni Bhriain meets this challenge head-on, giving the impression that she was the young woman and the young woman was her. This is an ambitious piece of theatre which is exacting for both the performers and the audience.

The Hare dress rehearsal in Sligo, July 2023 by Cían Flynn

Dates
July 3rd and 4th 2023 at Cairde Arts Festival Sligo
July 11th 2023 at Pavilion Theatre
July 13th-15th 2023 at Cork Arts Theatre

Directed by Bob Kelly,
Performed by Úna ní Bhriain with live music by Steve Wickham.
Originally developed with support from the Abbey Theatre and Cairde Sligo Arts Festival.

Written by Clare Monnelly & Bob Kelly
Performed by Úna Ní Bhriain
Composition and live music by Steve Wickham
Sound Design by Joe Hunt
Set and Costume Design by Jenny Whyte
Lighting Design by Michael Cummins
Dramaturgy by Eleanor White
Producer Sadhbh Barrett Coakley
Production Manager George Bernard Gallagher
Photography Marcin Lewandowski