Of a Midnight Meeting – Bewley’s Cafe Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

Written by Katie McCann
Oct 16th – Nov 11th, 2023

The set is what appears to be a cluttered Victorian parlour but it has survived into the period when radios were large, prized pieces of furniture. Such a radio stands stage left. There is a circular table over which hangs a dark coloured table cloth and there is also a large armchair covered in a faded fabric. But what dominates the set are the walls which are covered with a myriad of photographs and prints in a variety of sizes and frames hung in what might be described as an unconsidered cluster hanging. This is the home of Hester O’Brien (Katie McCann). She is a medium.

The magazine Scientific America is involved in a campaign to expose mediums, that exploit recently bereaved individuals, who in their grief are vulnerable. Many of them long to be able to communicate with their departed loved ones. They are easy prey for the unscrupulous. Nathaniel Harker (Naoise Dunbar) is an employee of Scientific America. He has replaced a colleague who was carrying out an enquiry into Miss O’Brien’s activities. Initially, it appears that Nathaniel holds all the cards as he knows a great deal about Miss O’Brien’s past which includes deception. However, Miss O’Brien has been brought up in a tough school and she is not going to submit without a fight. She also demands that he proceeds factually and not on the basis of conjecture. The lines are clearly drawn between them but they both have vulnerabilities which will be exposed.

McCann from her first appearance exuded the characteristics of what a medium ought to look like – dark black hair swept off the face and held firmly in place and swathed in shawls and a long skirt. Dunbar, in contrast, was a suitable piece of officialdom, dressed in collar and tie and a grey suit. Their characters come from very different worlds – the supernatural and the factual scientific. However, each of them was crisp and clear as they accused and parried each other’s positions particularly as their discourse delved into their own respective pasts and personal tragedies.

The play has a feeling of melodrama and at all times there is a sense of watching an historical tableau.   McCann’s script is assured and the revelations which emerge are cleverly introduced. This is a production of a short, well-crafted play in traditional form. It is executed with skill and creates the atmosphere of a time past. It is under an hour in length and well worth a visit.

CAST AND CREW:

PERFORMED BY: Naoise Dunbar and Katie McCann
DIRECTOR: Jeda de Brí
SET DESIGN: Chrysi Chatzivasileiou
COSTUME DESIGN: Toni Bailey
LIGHTING DESIGN: Colm Maher
SOUND DESIGN: Danny Forde
PHOTOGRAPHY: Ste Murray
STAGE MANAGEMENT: Ross Smith
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Úna Nolan

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