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The Lir Theatre, Pearse Street ***

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IS an ambitious production that draws on a variety of theatrical elements to tell its fragmented story. In the title role, Shane O’Reilly signs and speaks his way through a plot that moves between concrete and abstract scenes. In the new space of the Lir he interacts intelligently with light and sound, which are manipulated by a production team on- and off-stage.

This is a play that is pulsing with possibilities, from how clever light manipulation can conjure characters, to how sound-effects can move beyond mere musical backdrop and become dialogue and atmosphere. It’s exciting and it’s ambitious, but few of the ideas come to full, satisfying fruition, and occasionally the repetition in the action goes a step too far, and some elements of the play seem out of step with the overall production. It’s an intriguing production, with a fistful of ideas that demands attention, but it needs more focus to become more than the sum of its parts.

Runs until Saturday