Brooklyn Bridge

A vibrant vocal expertise and a pleasing theatrical assurance allow Grace Kinirons to overcome the difficulties of a confused…

A vibrant vocal expertise and a pleasing theatrical assurance allow Grace Kinirons to overcome the difficulties of a confused script in Brooklyn Bridge: as a singer, she has all the feisty character required to carry this one-woman piece for which the music and lyrics were written by John Ryan and the book by his brother, Martin Ryan.

Cathal McCabe's direction makes the most of the singer's large talent while the design by Patrick Murray uses a slow revolve to provide changes of scene and emphasis. The songs are narrative melodies built to take a belting and although she indeed belts them out, Kenirons still releases their subtlety and meaning, even in an arrangement where she has to sing against her own taped counterpoint. She also has to perform to a taped accompaniment provided by the Ryan brothers and David Hayes, and with a variety of disembodied voices representing her mother, boyfriend, plumber and, for reasons as yet unclear, God. Such trappings, couched in a supposed New York Jewish idiom, make Brooklyn Bridge an unusually crowded one-woman show.

Runs until December 4th

Mary Leland

Mary Leland is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in culture