The Maestro & The Mosquita – Dublin Fringe Festival – Review
Theatre Lovett

12 – 15 September – Project Arts Centre

As you enter the theatre, you see the simple but surprisingly stylish set. There is a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling along with shell-shaped footlights at the front and back of the stage. There is a dark and moody scene created, with a chaise longue on one side and a screen and table on the other. The Maestro (Louis Lovett) is already on stage when the piece begins, or rather he is in the theatre. He walks around the auditorium interacting with audience members, greeting them and talking to them in his own unique language! He is wearing a lavish dress suit with the surprising addition of a pair of flip-flops!  As the announcements are made, he takes the flip-flops off and walks barefoot onto the stage.

We are told an unusual fact at the start of the show. Only Only female mosquitoes bite people. Female mosquitoes need blood to produce their eggs. The piece is told almost entirely without text, through mime, sound effects and music. We do have occasional moments where the Maestro talks to the audience, but they are few and far between. It has the feel of a Warner Brothers cartoon come to life as we see the interaction between the great conductor and the tiny insect. As you would expect, there is no mosquito on stage, instead, we hear her presence through a high-pitched whine!

The piece is written by Carmel Winters, the Irish writer and director, who has worked in theatre and film. She will be known to many for her play B for Baby which was performed at the Abbey, along with the film Float Like a Butterfly. There are musical interludes throughout the piece, which occasionally show the Maestro conductor at work. These musical pieces were created by Stephen Warbeck, the English composer best known for his Oscar-winning soundtrack for Shakespeare in Love.

This is a one-man show, with Louis Lovett creating the world of the mosquito through his own brand of physical humour and performance. He is also a surprisingly accomplished singer and can fill the auditorium with his voice when the plot requires it. It is a test of endurance for Lovett who keeps the pace high and the gags flowing. The battle of wits between the Maestro and the Mosquito is played out over the 70 minutes on stage and the script never lags or dips. Lovett has carved out a niche for his own unique style of theatre and his audience continues to grow. The play is aimed at audience members 9+ and would be ideal viewing for younger audience members and those who are young at heart.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

The Maestro and The Mosquita – Written by Carmel Winters

Directed by Muireann Ahern and Stephen Warbeck
Performed by Louis Lovett
Composer: Stephen Warbeck

Lighting Design: Sarah Jane Shiels
Sound Design: Carl Kennedy
Costume Design: Sinéad Lawlor
Prop Maker: Sue Crawford

Music Recording and Production
Clarinets: Sarah Homer
Violin/viola: Anna Cooper
Cello: Nick Cooper
Music Copyist: Carl Kennedy
Music Programming and Mixing: Lewis Morison

Producer: Aoife O’ Beirne
Production Manager: Michael Lonergan
Stage Manager: Aoife Byrne
Chief LX: Síofra Nic Liam
Sound Engineer: Francesca de Buyl

Photographer: Ros Kavanagh
Make-up: Lorraine McCrann
PR: Conleth Teevan

Please note: Contains the use of smoke machines.

Funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Originally commissioned by The Ark. Supported by The Everyman and Cork City Council as part of Theatre Artist in Residence Programme

IMAGE: Ros Kavanagh