Moment at Bush Theatre

Moment at Bush Theatre

02 March, 2011
by: Naima Khan

Naima Khan reviews the UK premiere run of Deirdre Kinahan's tense new play Moment at Bush Theatre

Moment, at Bush Theatre, hinges on a horrific crime committed by one member of the Lynch family. Nial returns to Ireland after setting up a life for himself as an artist in England. With his Engilsh wife in tow and a promising future ahead of him, he arrives unannounced. But no bother; tea and quiche are in plentiful supply and as long as no one talks about his history, they can pretend like nothing ever happened. But thanks to this ballsy Irish family, penned by a fine Irish writer, the Lynchs are forced to deal with what they so desperately try to put behind them.

The challenges of writing for an ensemble cast are plenty but Deirdre Kinahan's multi-dimensional characters are her most apparent success. That, and the different manifestations of strength she conveys through Nial's ever-loving mother and his iron-willed sisters – the protective Ciara and the broken, but fierce, Niamh.

Nial (Ronan Leahy) shows an impressive tenacity in moving on from what happened, but on-stage, it's difficult to believe he was ever that sinister a child. When he comes to explain exactly what happened, it's not as gut-wrenching as we are led to believe. But Kinahan makes it clear she's not out to shock; this is about a family unravelling at an exponential rate.

As conversation flows a little bitterly, it's Nial's unwelcome wife Ruth who brings up the history everyone's trying to ignore. Not in any graphic way, but her vague reference to it is enough to set things off. What emerges, quite disturbingly, is the deluded love a mother can have for her flawed son.

If it's possible to articulate frustration, Maeve Fitzgerald does a fine job with Niamh, through her stifled lines, borne out of exasperation, and a struggle to be polite. My heart breaks a little for Ciara, which is down to Kate Nic Chonaonaigh's portrayal of this overloaded mother, wife, sister and daughter who takes it all in her stride whilst remaining refreshingly in touch with her feelings. But it's Deirdre Donnelly's Teresa Lynch that frustrates the audience in the same way she does her own daughters. Her unshakeable belief in her son's worth and insistence that her daughters will be fine while it's him that needs her makes me angry.

Leaving the theatre with a frown is rarely a positive thing but Kinahan and her cast have done their jobs brilliantly. Not only have they succeeded in forcing their audience to invest but they don't let us forget it either. 

Moment runs at Bush Theatre until 26th March

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Naima Khan