The Loved Ones appears at The Black Box on Friday May 2, and Saturday, May 3. Tickets €17/€20/€24 from www.tht.ie
by Erica Murray
Rough Magic & The Gate Theatre
Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick
April 18, 2025
****
Sarah Bacon's set is the most impressive I have seen in quite some time. Such is its intricacy, that one feels teleported to one's great-aunt's house down the country.
This is a home that almost everyone who grew up in Ireland will recognise. She captures the quintessentially dated, rural, cluttered abode. The countless appliances and decorations cement its credibility, but also lead me to presume that this production must be incredibly difficult to tour.
The house belongs to Jane Brennan's Nell, whose son Robin recently passed away. We meet her on the day that Gabby, a pregnant college student played by a spirited Fanta Barrie, arrives at her door, claiming Robin is the father.
The plot thickens when we find out that Robin's widow Orla, portrayed by the captivating Margaret McAuliffe, is due to arrive that very same day. As if that wasn't enough, Nell also has an American AirbnB guest staying over; Helen Norton's loud, uncouth, yet completely lovable Cheryl-Ann is caught in the crossfire of what becomes a tense confrontation.
The opening twenty minutes or so are not particularly noteworthy, but like all great plays, The Loved Ones builds steadily. Erica Murray gently ensnares us with her writing, luring the audience into a false sense of security, before dropping a bomb in the latter part of the first act. Such was my engrossment in this play, that I literally had my head in my hands when the inevitable reveal comes, willing Orla not to realise that Gabby is the mother of her late husband's child.
Jane Brennan, a seasoned professional, is the heart of this play. Her nuanced performance presents Nell as a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman, who is at the same time extremely vulnerable. The classic 'Irish Mammy' who believes her dote of a son can do no wrong, eventually has to come to terms with the damage he has caused.
Although we hear so much about Robin, this play is about the four women on stage. They take us on an emotional roller-coaster, where laughs come as a welcome relief, providing moments to compose ourselves before Murray delves back into more serious subject matter.
It sails close to the wind in terms of anti-male sentiment, but never reaches all-out condemnation, tastefully exploring the price that women often have to pay for men's reckless behaviour.
In summary, you will laugh, and you will cry.
Do yourself a favour: go and see it in Galway this weekend.
The Loved Ones appears at The Black Box on Friday May 2, and Saturday, May 3. Tickets €17/€20/€24 from www.tht.ie
