Anna Burnside reviews 'a subtle and enjoyable production'.
Mary bristles into what we will soon discover is an old church, tightly belted into her mac, business-like bags in both hands. Jim arrives behind her, swinging a carrier.
Turns out they are estranged sister and brother. She’s here to survey the church which is about to be desanctified and turned into a bougie restaurant. He’s here to take care of religious business.
Mike O’Donnell is a skilled observer of human nature and fits a whole family drama into this compact piece. Their characters have the comfort of siblings as well as the tensions that come from dealing with flawed, ageing parents.
Kevin Lennon and Rosalind Sydney do a great job, pivoting from awkward and spiky to in-joke familiarity in a single line.
Director Kate Nelson gives O’Donnell’s script plenty of room to breathe and uses the space of Oran Mor - itself a desanctified church - well.
So far so good. The only real problem with The Way, The Truth and The Life is that it could be a radio play. Apart from one jump scare and an extremely good visual joke at the end, there are no theatrical elements here. The set is static and minimal, the lighting low key, the soundscape non-existent.
Actors and director do their very best within these constraints, and this is a subtle and enjoyable production. But live theatre needs more than eye rolling and gallus piece eating to justify its place on a stage.
O’Donnell is new to playwriting. Once he is more confident with 3D storytelling, he could do great things.
The Way, The Truth and The Life performs at Oran Mor’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint until June 1, 2024.
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Image by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
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