Dancing at Lughnasa at Sheffield Crucible Review
Rachel O’Connell in Dancing at Lughnasa. Photo by Johan Persson.
Written by Kirsty for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Elizabeth Newman has opened her tenure as Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres with a bang, with an emotionally powerful revival of Brian Friel’s play about family, love, loss and changing with the times.
Dancing at Lughnasa tells the story of the Mundy sisters; Kate, Maggie, Agnes, Rose and Chris as seen through the eyes of Chris’s son Michael. We only meet Michael as an adult played by Kwaku Fortune, where he tells the story of his aunts through the challenging summer of 1936. The tragic return of the prodigal older brother Father Jack (Frank Laverty), from Uganda causes a chain of events which tears the family apart and all the sisters act and react in different ways.
Natalie Radmall-Quirke’s Kate is a stoic and devout school teacher who holds the family together, and through the play we see her struggling with the impending doom about to hit her family, and watching her struggle with the real reason for her beloved brothers return to Ballybeg was heartbreaking and you could see through the religiosity and stern care that Kate just wants to protect her family. Rachel O’Connell’s Rose is the heart of the family, and her childlike awe and honesty is in stark contrast to the rest of the sisters. When the adult Michael tells the audience how Rose lived after leaving the family home is an emotional punch that you aren’t expecting. Siobhán O'Kelly’s portrayal of Maggie, the “fun” sister who loves a “wild Woodbine” is both hilarious and emotionally charged. It is clear that Maggie is struggling to find her place in the world as one of the five spinster Munday sisters.
Alongside the family drama, we also see Chris (Martha Dunlea) struggling with her relationship with Michael’s father Gerry Evans (Marcus Rutherford). Evans is an absent and aimless father moving from job to job with little consideration for Chris and Michael. Whilst it is clear that Chris and Gerry are meant to be the romantic interlude in the piece, I found myself just wanting Gerry to leave Chris and Michael alone as his inclusion in the family was more traumatic than his staying away. Include the ambiguous relationship between Gerry and Agnes (Laura Pyper) and it definitely felt that Gerry was more trouble than he was worth.
Although there were times where the pacing of the piece felt out of time, the chemistry between the five sisters was exceptional, and the relationships between them all felt real and genuine. O’Kelly and Radmall-Quirke were standouts for me, however, the way that O’Connell tugged at every heartstring as Rose reminded the audience that whilst this is a play about the extended Mundy family, the sisters remain at the heart of the story.
This piece feels like a strong start for Newman and her team, Francis O’Connor’s set design was simple yet so effective and really aided in bringing the story together. I can’t wait to see what else Newman will bring to the Crucible.
Dancing at Lughnasa plays until 4 October
★★★★
