Children of the Sun – Abbey Theatre – Review

A Rough Magic and Abbey Theatre co-production – Children of the Sun
By Hilary Fannin after Gorky – Directed by Lynne Parker

Images by Ros Kavanagh

We meet the Professor (Stuart Graham) while he is at home with his wife Elena (Aisling McGuckian). The Professor is obsessed with his work as he aims to explore the final frontier of science; time. His wife is more concerned with mundane matters like how the bills are going to be paid. Their house is a sprawling mansion but the couple are broke with hardly enough money to pay for food, despite the presence of maids, gardeners and other staff. The Professor spends his every waking moment on his work and seems ignorant of the growing affection between his wife and the local vet Chepurnoy (Brian Doherty but played by Rory Nolan on the night of the review). The two have fallen in love and Chepurnoy dreams of them running away together.

The original version of this play was written in 1905 by Maxim Gorky. It was written while the playwright was imprisoned during the abortive Russian Revolution. Irish writer Hilary Fannin has updated the story, changing elements and moving them from the original setting to somewhere else entirely.

It would be difficult to write a review without mentioning the circumstances in which it was created. While working on the play last September, Hilary Fannin was diagnosed with cancer. After discussions with her doctors, she decided to continue with the work. It must have made opening night all the more exciting. Hilary has worked with Rough Magic before on productions such as The Famished Castle (2015) and Phaedra (2010), so her collaboration with Director Lynn Parker is well-established.

Set Designer, Sarah Bacon, has created a lavish setting for the action to take place. It is a set with many levels, with short flights of stairs between the various half-landings. It looks quite dazzling and Director Lynn Parker has a large number of cast members on stage throughout. The Lighting Design by Sarah Jane Shiels comes into its own in the second half as the locations alter with each passing scene.

At the start of the performance, it was announced that the part of Chepurnoy was to be played by Rory Nolan as Brian Doherty was not available. Nolan took the part at short notice and performed with the script in his hand. It is always extremely difficult for an actor to take on a major role at short notice and he did an impressive job, but it did alter the dynamic.

The play does not rely on any one character and instead gives speaking roles to the full cast. The 11-member ensemble embraces the complexity of the work. In the first act, we see the big house and their failing wealth, in a typical Checkovian setting.  In the second act, the constraints of the real world fall away, allowing for an imaginative and chaotic feel. With so many ideas and changes on display, some scenes worked better than others but this transformation from the staid world of the big house to somewhere else was an interesting concept. Fannin has kept most of the structure and plot of the original play but has made some changes which alter the mood, transforming it into something playful and surprising.

Credits
Writer: Hilary Fannin after Gorky
Director: Lynne Parker
Melania: Fiona Bell
Troshin: Colin Campbell
Vagin: John Cronin
Chepurnoy: Brian Doherty
Misha: Rowan Finken
Lusha: Eavan Gaffney
Protasov: Stuart Graham
Elena: Aislín McGuckin
Roman: Peter Newington
Lisa: Rebecca O’Mara
Yegor: Ian Toner
Set Design: Sarah Bacon
Costume Design: Sorcha Ní Fhloinn
Lighting Design: Sarah Jane Shiels
Composer and Sound Design: Mel Mercier
Publicity Image: Ros Kavanagh / AAD