THE BIRD SANCTUARY. To 18 May.
London.
THE BIRD SANCTUARY
by Frank McGuinness
Rosemary Branch Theatre 2 Shepperton Road N1 3DT To 18 May 2008.
Tue-Fri 7.30pm Sat 7pm Sun 5pm
Runs 1hr 55min One interval.
TICKETS: 020 7704 6665.
www.rosemarybranch.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 11 May.
Sanctuary for birds and people.
Here’s another homecoming play. The home has been jointly inherited by the Henryson family’s two sisters and brother. While Marianne went to England with a Dublin accent that let her pass as a native, Robert’s been gambling and drinking his money away, and Eleanor has stayed in the family home.
Eleanor’s a painter, and through writer Frank McGuinness’s stretched, if not magical, realism in this 1994 play, something of a witch too, having also become a recluse over the last three years. With her paintings (neatly suggested by the colour splashed around the walls in Steve Burson’s design) fetching good prices, she has devoted herself to a major painting of the proximate bird sanctuary.
The usual portions of strife and blame emerge when the family gathers, along with Robert’s wife, who’s become acclimatised and fatalistic over her husband’s way with money while quietly anxious over its impact, and son. Eleanor is determined the others won’t sell the house and is prepared to go to any lengths to prevent Marianne, the stronger-willed of her siblings, going ahead with a sale.
Family feelings, and the dynamics of relationships, fluctuate; at times it’s hard to tell whether humour or hate is the surface hiding the reality of the other. Such uncertainty is satisfyingly that of the characters caught up in the gathering, and it’s where the play is strongest.
McGuinness is less sure-footed in neater moments, such as the sudden announcement the sanctuary painting is finished. Even Eleanor seems to give it little importance. Yet it is significant, for her as an artist, and to the play, for it mirrors the future of her own sanctuary being determined.
Fortunately, the organic, unpredictable element is stronger. The varying pressures and moods are neatly caught by Liisa Smith’s cast. At the centre, Clare Kissane has a nicely ambiguous manner, with an often calm determination that could cover a darker turmoil. Margaret Moore’s Marianne, all upfront confidence (even making a bargain from her initially secret sadness), is well-contrasted, as is Mark Pollard’s cheery-mannered yet purposeless brother. Good performances, in fact, all-round, in this quirky family’s drama.
Eleanor Henryson: Clare Kissane.
Marianne Henryson: Margaret Moore.
Robert Henryson: Mark Pollard.
Tina Henryson: Fiona Cuskelly.
Stephen Henryson: James Boyle.
Director: Liisa Smith.
Designer/Lighting: Steve Burson.
Music: Michael Paul Hooper, Matt George, Mike Terrell.
2008-05-14 12:47:00