Hold Me Away From The Sun – The New Theatre – Review

Event Dates: 29/04/2025 – 03/05/2025

Joe (Emmet Hamilton-Reynold) is a 17 year old man who is struggling to fit in. He has just returned home and seems highly agitated after an incident with his best friend, Daniel. He stands in the doorway of his bedroom and flings his school bag against the wall. He takes some pills from a container and swallows them with the help of some Vodka. Shortly, he is joined by his older sister Jane (Isabella Sjööns). She is a calming influence on him, prepared to listen to his outbursts and try to reason with him. Joe loves poetry, and Jane attempts to remind him of the reason why.

This is a new work by writer Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds, who also stars in the production. It is a whimsical piece that deals with the inner workings of the main character’s mind. Joe is a complicated young man who dreams of being a poet and seems to spend a large amount of time in his bedroom. Jane is his imaginary sister, the only person willing or able to calm him down. The two have known each other for many years, as she first appeared to Joe when he was only 9 years old.

The set by Chrysi Chatzivasileiou gives us a teenage boy’s bedroom, with posters pinned to the wall as well as many handwritten pages of text, the poems of our main protagonist. There is a bed, a desk and some other typical items, all arranged with chaotic flair.

The piece is short in duration and doesn’t have a great deal of plot. Instead, we get an insight into Joe’s mind. We hear excerpts of Joe’s poetry along with that of Shakespeare. There are conversations between Joe and his sister as well as a trip into the past, to see Joe as a young boy. The actors create two complex characters in this well-crafted microcosm.

Hold Me Away From The Sun – The New Theatre – Event Dates: 29/04/2025 – 03/05/2025
CAST – Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds & Isabella Sjööns
WRITER – Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds
DIRECTOR – John O’Hare

STAGE MANAGER – Eva Walsh
PRODUCTION MANAGER – Saoirse Carey
SET DESIGN – Chrysi Chatzivasileiou
LIGHTING DESIGN – Owen Clarke
AUDIO DESIGN – HK Ní Shioradáin
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR – Libby Seward
PROMOTIONAL ARITST – Ferdia Shaw
POSTER – Simon Nader Mirza
PRODUCER FOR THE NEW THEATRE – Anthony Fox
PRODUCER FOR ABSTRACT DREAMS THEATRE COMPANY – Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds