Mr Bergman of Deadman’s Point at Paradise in the Vault Review
This new play is based around a true story, the incredible tale of an unidentified man who spent three days in Sligo, Ireland, seemingly erasing his own identity before being found dead on a lonely shoreline.
It is largely told from the perspective of the embalmer looking after Mr Bergman, “Balmy Corrigan” and tells us his story, only hinting at events that have brought the mysterious man to the slab in his basement workplace.
As the play begins, a man wearing a featureless and slightly disturbing mask, sits at a table listening to radio news reports that include global financial collapse and the shipping forecast. As he slowly gets up and walks to the rear of the stage, sound effects and voice-overs take us on a journey from Europe to Sligo in Ireland via a series of travel announcements. The mask is removed and our actor, Ronan Dempsey (who also wrote the play), becomes our narrator. There is some speculation on the identity of Mr Bergman, Mr B, the “man mountain” but he remains a bit of a blank canvas as this is the embalmer’s story. He too has a “mountain” in his head, his posture clearly showing he’s in a lot of pain, fighting an unnamed terminal illness.
It’s a very intense performance and Dempsey is rather softly spoken a lot of the time, making his occasional outbursts hit harder. He convincingly presents a sad figure who finds some kinship with “Mr B”. It’s a strong character study that increasingly becomes three dimensional and relatable once his back-story is revealed - a clever device as Dempsey’s character becomes more rounded as the titular Mr Bergman remains an enigma. When not addressing the body on the slab, he records messages for his estranged daughter – the reason for this estrangement only revealed towards the end of the piece. But we do learn that his character has been ostracised by the people in the town, leading him to isolation and desperation. He is targeted for abuse by the locals, including unnamed twins, shouting up from his basement at his agitators. His knowledge of the local community makes it clear this wasn’t always the case and there’s a rare lighter moment when he explains the locals’ various nicknames to his silent customer (“The Clock”, got his name as his hands were different sizes).
But overall, it’s a rather overwhelming experience – interludes when Dempsey puts the mask back on to show us Mr Bergman’s gradual erasure from existence feel a little laboured. It’s only as we really get into Corrigan the embalmer’s story that the narrative becomes truly engaging and gripping.
Mr Bergman of Deadman's Point is at The Vault at Paradise in the Vault until Sunday 30th August.
★★★
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.