| 13 August 2010
A beautifully scripted and stunningly performed piece, Enda Walsh’s Penelope is a must-see for anyone looking for serious, thought-provoking theatre at this year’s Fringe.
A modern and creative interpretation of the tale of Penelope from Homer’s Odyssey, this is a play more concerned with ideas than plot, where action is limited and the drama of the play lies in its wordplay and monologues. The structural weaknesses of the play are made up for by the confident Irish cast (particularly Niall Buggy as Fitz) who imbue moments of silence with deep significance, and expose the primitive, darker instincts of men fully aware of the destructive nature of their love for the unattainable, beautiful Penelope.
The play is set at the bottom of a drained swimming pool, a purgatorial limbo that confines these four ridiculous men in the midst of an existential crisis. A charged and stimulating atmosphere grips the audience throughout with an awareness of the underlying violence lurking beneath moments of delightful comedy in a world where men have forsaken rationality in a bid to ‘let their hearts rule’.
The faultless performances of this motley crew provide an exhilarating and fresh take on an old tale, and I would not be surprised if, as with the last couple times that the creative team behind this production collaborated, this becomes an award-winning and noted gem of the Fringe.
Traverse, 5-29 Aug (not 6, 9, 16, 23), times vary
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