Breathless

Friday night when we were in Galway, we saw a production of “Breathless” at the Druid’s Mick Lally Theatre. One of our professors managed to get us all last-minute tickets, and it turned out to be a brilliant performance. The only thing we were told before we got to the theatre was that the play was about four missing women. Through the large, industrial door in the foyer is a small, 90 seat theatre (source). Instead of an elevated stage like many larger theaters, the Mick Lally’s stage is floor level with rows of chairs ascending above it. “Breathless” only showed for three days, but it held the whole audience captive (at least for Friday night’s show).

My first impression of the set was strange. There was a ratty, torn couch on one side; a bare old mattress in the back; a pile of rusty junk on the other side; empty bottles and cans of beer, hard cider, and wine; and four pairs of nice shoes. A fog machine had recently been running but wasn’t any longer so there was a slight haze hanging at eye level.

Donna Patrice and Kate Gilmore

At first, the play was so confusing, which I absolutely love. Stories always start in media res so having a beginning seems unrealistic. Anyone can start writing at the beginning and progress the story linearly; starting in the middle and weaving a complicated timeline of past and present is vastly more intriguing. It wasn’t until 20-30 minutes in that I realized the women were not just missing—they were dead and in some sort of limbo or purgatory. From the look of the set I had assumed they were hostages in an abandoned house, but no other characters appeared and the women seemed not to know very much about each other.

 

Sinead O'Riordan and Ruth McCabe

The women speak about their current situation, their past lives and problems, good memories, and how they came to be where they are—their murders. Each of them were murdered and their bodies hidden. It begs the question whether they will be able to leave that place of uncertainty if their bodies are ever found. Despite the overarching sad mood, there was plenty of comedy to be had throughout. Definitely an excellent production!

Author: John MacKenna

Director: Iseult Golden

Actresses: Ruth McCabe, Sinead O’Riordan, Donna Patrice, and Kate Gilmore