The House – Gaiety Theatre – Review

26th Sept – 5th Oct
Presented as part of Dublin Theatre Festival

Photos by Ros Kavanagh

The main character in this work is Christy Cavanagh (Marty Rea).  Christy lives and works in England and returns home to Ireland each summer for the Builders Holidays to see his friends and family.  He receives the warmest of welcomes from Mrs de Burca (Marie Mullen). Christy spent much time in the de Burca household during his childhood and knows each of her three daughters.  When Mrs de Burca tells Christy that their house is to be sold, he is shocked by the news.

This play was written by Tom Murphy and first performed in 2000 in the Abbey Theatre.  Tom Murphy is well known for plays such as Conversations on a Homecoming (1985) and The Gigli Concert (1983). This production is by Druid Theatre who have a long association with Murphy. They produced the DruidMurphy series in 2012, billed as “a major celebration of one of Ireland’s most respected living dramatists”.

The piece is an ensemble work with many speaking roles on stage.  We see Christy return to his local pub where he meets several friends, including others who have returned to Ireland for their holidays. The scenes in the pub are male-orientated and often drunken, boisterous and violent.  They stand in contrast to Christy’s visits to the de Burca household and his interactions with the three daughters.

The large cast makes good use of their stage time creating some worthwhile minor characters. Donncha O’Dea plays pub landlord Bunty with more than a hint of Francis Brennan to great comedic effect. Colm Lennon plays Goldfish, a man returning to Ireland from the States who has embraced his new life, but with simmering anger underneath. The three de Burca women (played by Rachel O’Byrne, Amy Molloy and Jessica Dunne Perkins) interact with Christy, offering him different possible futures.

The play is set in 1950s Ireland and there will be few alive today that will remember this distant time with any clarity. An unusual aspect is how little impact the church has on proceedings, with casual mentions of catholicism being the only reminder. It is a complex work with all the characters having long histories together, which are hinted at rather than spelled out. Much is left to the interpretation of the viewer, as you decide the motivation of their actions.

It is not Murphy’s finest work but it is more than deserving of this revival from Druid. The work explores the sense of belonging of individuals and their longing for home, real or imagined. Those who left are desperate to return but after a few weeks back, want to leave once more. Christy is a character with a chip on his shoulder due to his lowly upbringing and wants to rectify this in the eyes of the de Burca family. Marty Rea’s representation of this complex individual shows many elements of this flawed individual. Marie Mullen plays the matriarch of the family, a resourceful and warm woman who sees the good in people. Her relationship with Christy is cleverly played out in the final scenes.

Cast: Jessica Dunne Perkins, Darragh Feehely, Liam Heslin, Colm Lennon, Andrew Macklin, Amy Molloy, Marie Mullen, Rachel O’Byrne, Donncha O’Dea, Marty Rea, Cathal Ryan
Directed by Garry Hynes
Set and Co-Costume Design: Francis O’Connor
Co-Costume Design: Clíodhna Hallissey
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Sound Design: Sinéad Diskin
Music Composition: Conor Linehan
Casting Director: Amy Rowan
Associate Director: Sarah Baxter
Assistant Sound and Music Design: Martha Knight