Ross Dunsmore’s debut full length play is a remarkably confident mix of comedy and tragedy, directed with almost dreamlike fluency by Orla O’Loughlin. The narrative has three strands – a war veteran tends for his dying wife, a teacher and his wife nurture their new-born baby and two 14-year-olds fumble their way into the adult world.
The linking theme is sustenance. Baguettes, junk food Mars bars and milk feature in stories that deal with birth, coupling and death. They overlap each other, criss-cross and eventually connect. The three stories are simple in themselves, but, collectively, they say something profound. Funny and heartbreaking in turns, the play builds to a climax that will reduce all but the most hard-hearted to tears.
Performance date: 7 August 2016
The Beast's Pen 