Theatre review: Light Falls
'Light Falls' showcases the next generation of actors on the cusp of graduating from MTU Cork School of Music. Their productions deserves a wide audience.
For Cork theatre-goers on the lookout for emerging talent, Stack Theatre at the School of Music was the place to be last night, as the final-year students in the BA in Theatre and Drama Studies students of the MTU Cork School of Music presented their degree show; the Irish premiere of ‘Light Falls’ by Manchester-born playwright Simon Stephens.
Faced with the challenge of trying to find a suitable script for a large ensemble and give every student their chance to shine, Regina Crowley had to get very creative in directing this play, which tells the story of a woman, Christine, who in a sort of whimsical way, drops dead in a supermarket while reaching for a bottle of vodka.
At the very moment this far-reaching end of-life-events happens, her husband is off cavorting with a few jocular women in a hotel room, while their own three children are all entangled in their own individual dramas, spread out across a variety of different locations in the North of England.
The original play had a cast of 10, but there were 16 students in the final-year group, so the role of Christine in this fast paced production was played by five different people, while one kind student acted as stage manager. This division however was a little confusing in parts, especially when a new Christine appeared in a scene without any real introduction.
The first Christine though, was played wonderfully by Olivia Matthews, who in her opening monologue showcased a tremendous voice and presence, and after she departed the others had a very hard act to follow.
With the audience seated on either side of the stage, the action of the play shifts quickly between each character's storyline. This layout of the show was slightly problematic though, as when one daughter Jess wakes up on the floor beside a stranger Michael, depending on where you were positioned in the auditorium, it was a little difficult to see the actors until they got to their feet.
The very hip-looking stranger however, played by Ben Holman, struck a nice balance between being jittery and charming, while Mollie Savage in the role of Jess, swirled around him demonstrating traits common to all the children in the family; insecurity and a deep seated need for external validation.
Stefan Sumstad took this even further, conveying the anxiety and low self-esteem that runs through the dysfunctional family at the heart of the story, playing the role of the only son Steven with great aplomb, and he was in equal parts irritating and worthy of our sympathy in his scenes angling for love with his partner Andy, played by David Idara Ogumefu.
The set design by Jenny Whyte was quite sparse and did little to convey the locations the different members of the family found themselves in, save for an occasional duvet or blanket, but this was compensated by a terrific soundscape by Cormac O’ Connor that greatly aided in the storytelling.
Luckily, there were moments of levity amidst all the family turmoil, especially in the scene in the restaurant where Bernard (Donal O’Keefe) and his lady friends led by Zoe Olden in the role of Michaela, order an outlandish feast from a waitress who is none too impressed by their antics. Similarly, there is a brief, but delightful cameo by the ghost of Christine (Aine Falvey) outside the cathedral, which was also a very eye-catching performance.
Besides one or two peculiar decisions, like why one actor spoke in an English accent while the others didn’t, this is an enjoyable production on the whole and carried off brilliantly by the students. Their movement was excellent, using the entirety of the stage to great effect and they created some terrific pictures for the audience throughout the show.
The play itself seems to owe a debt to Jonathan Franzen’s ‘The Corrections’, while lacking the psychological depth of that work, it nonetheless tries to say something interesting about the ever evolving role of the nuclear family in society, without ever quite achieving to do so.
All in all though, it was great to see so much dedication and commitment from everyone involved. A lot of work clearly went into this production and this was greatly appreciated by the audience who had braved the freezing conditions to come out and support the students. It is worth mentioning, there were quite a few actors and local theatre makers in the audience, which was heartening to see, as it is important for the theatre community in Cork to give their support to the next generation of talent coming through.
Well done to everyone involved!
‘Light Falls’ runs nightly at 7:30pm until Saturday January 20. Tickets and more information here.
Pádraig O’ Connor is a writer based in Cork city.
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