Little One – Glass Mask Theatre – Review
by Brian Merriman
Little One, Glass Mask Theatre, 41 Dawson Street until April 5th at 7pm.
Duration 60 minutes.
Glass Mask Theatre has turned this small city centre pub space into a comfortable, functioning theatre space and they fill it with small-scale productions with a bigger impact. Little One by Hannah Moscovitch is their latest offering and it packs a punch.
Set in Ottawa, Canada, we meet one household and learn about another. It’s quite a neighbourhood.
Our two storytellers are Claire and Aaron. They are both adopted into a loving family desperate to make dysfunction function.
Claire (an intense Hannah Brady) is the problem. She has blocked out early childhood trauma and as the consequences resurface, it becomes a major challenge for Aaron (a fine study by Dan Monaghan).
Aaron is a young team player, good at sports and remarkably mature in putting himself out to help Claire in her struggle to face her demons. Despite the therapy, the impact on Aaron never seems to be a priority for his safe upbringing.
Moscovitch spares us nothing in this dark and macabre tale. Just when you think the behaviour has bottomed out, there is a new low.
Aaron is continually asked to accommodate his struggling sister and the storyline’s inevitable trajectory into chaos is well steered by director Samantha Cade.
It is an uncomfortable hour of abuse that is accelerated by the triggering presence of neighbours, gossip and spying. Secrets are traded and weaknesses are exploited. Eoin Lennon’s set works well and yet again this small performance space delivers a bigger result.
60 minutes is short, but it would be hard to take much more as Claire spills out of control to the devastation of those close by. The storytelling by the writer and actors is tight, impactful and skilfully delivered. Little One might only be an hour long, but you may need the rest of the evening to recover! Not for the faint-hearted!
Little One – Written by Hannah Moscovitch
Directed by Samantha Cade
Performed by Hannah Brady and Dan Monaghan
Produced by Glass Mask Theatre.
Categories: Header, Theatre, Theatre Review
No More Workhorse 
I haven’t seen this as yet,but plan to.It’s a great subject. I have a sister who seems similarly nasty,but she may be cleverer at passing as normal. I am also the closest to her.I wonder what a good psychologist might think of it. Also I have agonised as to whether it is hereditary.Bad blood.Indeed I wonder if so-called normal people may be even worse.They don’t want to see,and oust those of us who do. But you might want to read EMCioran re the human condition.