No Romance: A Desperate Business – Bewley’s Cafe Theatre – Review
February 24th – March 15, 2025

No Romance: A Desperate Business

written by Nancy Harris

The set is a funeral home. The entire stage is encased in a dark, sombre red fabric, floor to ceiling. There are six non-descript chairs arranged in two groups of 4 and 2. At the side is an open coffin the contents of which is left to your imagination. It contains the mortal remains of the mother of Joe (John Cronin). He has been married for twenty-plus years to Carmel (Clara Fitzgerald).

They have arrived somewhat early and Joe is ranting about their daughter who is having a great time in Australia. She has put up on Facebook pictures of herself which he considers are an affront to decency. His sense of outrage is suitably comical. When things settle down it becomes clear that the relationship between Carmel and the deceased mother had its wrinkles and that the relationship between Joe and Carmel has been uneven. It also emerges that Joe has been surfing the internet and Carmel has made a few discoveries. So “…while they’re here to bury their dead they begin to uncover secrets, lies, and fantasies they’ve kept from each other.”

Harris’s script is full of moments of high comedy. While Joe’s righteous indignation about his daughter seems a bit overblown he appears anyway to be an ineffectual figure when confronted by Carmel with his own internet behaviour. Carmel is at an advantage but she too has had sexual fantasies. The play raises the issue of secrets even in the closest of relationships.

It lasts a mere forty-five minutes. At times it is tragic as this long-married couple faces the reality of their lives. For all its comic moments it makes for reflection on the secrets that exist between an apparently loving couple. This is rich territory for comedy which is only heightened by the funeral parlour location. The end result is great entertainment for the audience.

 CAST AND CREW

WRITTEN BY: Nancy Harris
DIRECTED BY: Ellen Buckley
PERFORMED BY: John Cronin & Clara Fitzgerald
SET DESIGN: Ronan Duffy
LIGHTING DESIGN: Matt McGowan​
COMPOSER: José Albela
PHOTOGRAPHY: Johnny McMillan