REVIEW: Three Things That Are Never Seen at The Space Theatre

‘Mystical storytelling at its finest’ ★★★★ 1/2  

Celtic mythology and folklore has more to say about the modern world than we perhaps realise, dealing as they often do with love, loss and all the unknown things that touch us though we’ll never know them. It’s by drawing not just from the themes of these tales but their entire cadence and worldview that writer and performer Charlotte O’Reilly weaves together a unique theatrical experience that is simply spellbinding.

True to the air of so many of these stories (some featuring in the play itself), O’Reilly’s performance is filled with the bruised sincerity her melancholy story calls for. Throughout she’s accompanied by live music across a wide array of instruments from the ever in-tune James Ireland, each note fleshing out an atmosphere that is far more intimate than a normal stage performance, as if the audience is crouching over the same campfires that have kept these stories alive for millennia All of this is book-ended by excellent singing, dancing and stagecraft, the highlight being the imposing, larger than life feathered puppet brought to life at key moments by both O’Reilly and Ireland.

With so much going on there’s a danger that things could get lost in the mix, particularly when dips are made into the Irish language itself. These moments are however artfully placed to enhance the storytelling without dominating it, giving the appearance of spells or incantations if one’s bilingualism fails them, while the haunting music always played expertly by Ireland ensures that each scene’s emotion is conveyed regardless of what’s being said.

There are small hiccups however. The script and performances from both these multi-talented artists achieves so much through intelligence and complexity, that at times simple touches are missed. It’s a strange dichotomy, where mood and place are cemented better than any show you’ll see this year but a moment to moment narrative is absent, that there’s no core character sympathies with and attach to. Finally, while some sections of dancing certainly enhance the storytelling, others come off as wild, flailing non-sequiturs, disrupting the otherwise dreamlike atmosphere of the play.

It’s a credit to O’Reilly and Ireland’s absorbing performances then that these hiccups never pull one fully out of the magic the play conjures, showcasing mystical story telling at its finest.

Images by Mark Iandolo

 

Three Things That Are Never Seen showing at The Space Theatre 29th August-2nd September 2023

Box office: https://space.org.uk/event/three-things/

Written and Performed by Charlotte O'Reilly

Live music and Performance by James Ireland

Sound Design by Richard Durning

Lighting Design by Matt McGowan

Dramaturgy by Nicholas Johnson

Produced by Minikin Theatre

Reviewed by Harry Conway