BRIAN Friel's 1990 play is a brave choice for the RSAMD, requiring of the cast a tick Oirish brogue. Dancing is a quintessential memory play, narrated by the adult Michael Mundy (Harry Ward), looking back - as the play constantly reminds us - to the summer of 1936, and a rural Ireland straight out of Riverdance via Kilkenny and Craggy Island.
On the surface, at least. The Ireland presented here has a rural charm, sure, but is more representative of a family bonded by fear and loathing as much as blood ties. Eldest sister Kate (Joanna Harte) is breadwinner, teaching at the local parish school, while other sisters Maggie (Carol Cassidy), Agnes (Abigail Langham), and Rose (Helen Coker) work from home, Agnes as housewife and the others in the local doomed industry. Modern life, in the shape of the flighty Chris (Elizabeth Reynolds), mother of Michael thanks to a dalliance with salesman Gerry (Kevin Kelly), is at best an unwelcome intrusion.
There's much to commend this production, despite the odd accent wobble. Andy Gale's elegant design never detracts from the dialogue, and the usually controlled energy the cost put into the piece never goes unrewarded. A dance sequence midway through the first act, in particular, is as thrilling and technically accomplished as any professional company's. Even Vincent Handley, as Father Jack (no, not that one), does a good job. Ultimately, though, the play remains a trip down memory lane, with one-dimensional characterisation, bucketloads of reminiscent pathos, and little to say about the current human condition. Although redeemed somewhat by the excellent cast - the sisters in particular - the play remains a good story, but a tale of the past with little relevance to the present or the future. Excellent group performance, though.
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