ED2015 2/5 Reviews ED2015 Theatre Reviews

Since Maggie Went Away (Ballydam Theatre – Jacqueline Nolan)

By Andy Leask | Published on Saturday 15 August 2015

This is a laudable and ambitious attempt, based on a true story, to capture the pain caused by forced adoption in Ireland, as well as the scars left by institutional child abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church. These are awful, traumatic experiences, but only glimmers of that come through in this one-woman show, especially in the brief snatches of folk songs. Unfortunately the narrative is too fragmented – in space and time – without a clear guiding structure, and the characters the actor plays are not always clearly delineated. As such, the audience is forced to waste time trying to deduce which character is speaking, and when. This took me out of the moment too often, diminishing the play’s impact.

theSpace on the Mile, until 15 Aug.
tw rating 2/5 | [Andrew Leask]