Featuring: Mary Murray, Ghaliah Conroy, Aidan Kelly, Aisling O’Mara, Hollie Lawlor, Thommas Kane Byrne, Hilda Fay and Keiren Hamilton-Amos.

POOR – Gate Theatre – Review

Part of the Dublin Theatre Festival

Dates: 26th Sept – 2nd Nov
Gate Theatre and Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – POOR by Katriona O’Sullivan, adapted by Sonya Kelly

This play is based on the biography of the same name by Katriona O’Sullivan. The book tells the story of Katriona’s early life and upbringing in Coventry, Birmingham and later Dublin. Katriona did not have a stable family life, as she lived in extreme poverty. Both of her parents were drug users and alcoholics, and the play deals with her memories of her dysfunctional upbringing. The book went on to win Biography of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2023.

The biography has been adapted for the stage by Sonya Kelly. Sonya has developed quite a following after the success of her recent plays, such as The Last Return, Once Upon a Bridge and How to Keep an Alien. Due to the popularity of the book, as well as Sonya Kelly’s involvement, this production was sold out before opening night, which is quite remarkable. If you’re without a ticket, I suspect it will return to the stage before long.

The production gives us two versions of Katriona, one as a young woman (Aisling O’Mara) and another as a child (Hollie Lawlor). While we do not meet any of her siblings, we do meet her Mother, Tilly (Hilda Fay) and Father, Tony (Aidan Kelly). Tony is a loveable rogue who lives on his wits, dabbling in petty crime to fund his drug use. Tilly does show her daughter love, but as she says herself, she loves drugs more. The rest of the parts, including teachers, social workers and police officers, are played by The Ensemble (Ghaliah Conroy, Keiren Hamilton-Amos, Thommas Kane Byrne and Mary Murray).

Featuring: Mary Murray, Ghaliah Conroy, Aisling O’Mara, Thommas Kane Byrne, Keiren Hamilton-Amos POOR by Katriona O’Sullivan, adapted by Sonya Kelly Directed by Róisín McBrinn at the Gate Theatre 2025 Photographer: Ste Murray

The story is a rags-to-riches tale of someone who managed to escape the poverty trap and found a home in academia. It’s an amazing tale of a person who, with a lot of luck and hard work, managed to make it to the top. She also had the help of some amazing teachers who went far beyond their job description to aid her progress. The play clearly shows how unlikely a story this is and how poverty and drug use move between generations.

There is a minimalist stage, with a ubiquitous red couch on a set of very impressive casters, which is spun around the stage, occasionally with the full cast on board. The backdrop of the set is a dull beige/ brown wall with various panels and doors, through which the cast emerges. It’s simple but effective.

If the storyline sounds unremittingly bleak, in Sonya Kelly’s capable hands it’s anything but. Sonya is known for her humour, and this production is no different. We see the good times as well as the bad. The use of the younger version of Katriona works very well, and Hollie Lawlor’s performance is one of the highlights of the piece. She has a deft touch for such a young actor. The piece does not pull its punches and is quite troubling at times, but we all know the positive outcome at the end. At the end of the production on opening night, Katriona O’Sullivan took to the stage along with the cast members. Her life is a remarkable story that deserves to be told on stage.

Featuring: Keiren Hamilton-Amos, Mary Murray, Aisling O’Mara, Ghaliah Conroy and Thommas Kane Byrne
POOR by Katriona O’Sullivan, adapted by Sonya Kelly Directed by Róisín McBrinn at the Gate Theatre 2025 Photographer: Ste Murray

CAST:
Ensemble – Ghaliah Conroy
Tilly – Hilda Fay
Ensemble – Keiren Hamilton-Amos
Ensemble – Thommas Kane Byrne
Tony – Aidan Kelly
Younger Katriona – Hollie Lawlor
Ensemble – Mary Murray
Katriona – Aisling O’Mara
Younger Katriona – Pippa Owens

CREATIVES:
Author – Katriona O’Sullivan
Adapted by Sonya Kelly
Director – Róisín McBrinn
Set Designer – Aedín Cosgrove
Costume Designer – Lara Campbell
Lighting Designer – Paul Keogan
Sound Designer and Composition – Sinéad Diskin
Musical Director – Padraig Dooney
Movement Director – Jess Williams
Voice Director – Cathal Quinn
Resident Assistant Director – Emma Finegan
Associate Set Designer – LaurA Fajardo Castro
AV Designer and Programmer – Micheal Dunne