Shining City

Published Monday 21 May 2007 at 14:50 by Natalie Anglesey

Award-winning, Irish playwright, Conor McPherson has not only won critical acclaim but appears to have touched both a temporal and spiritual vein within audiences world-wide.

This regional premiere of Shining City, which follows success in London, Dublin and Broadway, sees the Octagon’s Artistic Director, Mark Babych, in the role of director.

Dawn Allsopp’s wooden set is convincingly located at the top of a Dublin house and during a succession of episodic scenes, Babych points up the recurring themes of guilt, loneliness, despair and eventual hope.

The cast of four actors do not miss a beat. Paul McLeary as Ian, the ex-priest turned therapist, is believable in his confusion of identity and purpose. Mairead Conneelly is Neasa, his devastated ex-partner whilst Conor Michael Ryan hits the right note in the small but important role of Laurence, the male prostitute.

But the key to the success of this production is an extraordinary performance from George Irving as John, who seeks counselling about the ghostly visitations of his dead wife. His spell-binding confession of his personal experiences leads the audience through his own despair and repair. It is a charismatic performance.