This was my first experience of seeing a play at the Tron Theatre. I really don’t know why it had taken me this long to get around to seeing a performance there. The venue had escaped my attention for the most part, I confess.
I have to give kudos to Facebook’s algorithm because it came up trumps targeting the advertisement for Cyprus Avenue at me. I read the brief synopsis of the play and could see from the promotional photo that David Hayman was starring in it and I took the bait.
It was this part of the play’s synopsis that I found most intriguing, “Eric, an Ulster Loyalist, is convinced that his five-week old granddaughter is Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams.” To me this sounded comical. I went in expecting it to be a mostly light-hearted affair. And, to be fair, there were funny parts to it, but it ends far from comical.
From here it will be hard to talk about in much detail without spoilers but I will endeavour to do so with any plot spoilers clearly stated beforehand.
The Tron itself is a fantastic venue. An intimate size for these kinds of productions. Some theatre spaces can feel a little large for plays but the Tron is a perfect size with an approximate 250 seat capacity. There is no seating that suffers from an obscured clear view of the stage.
The set was a basic one. One that served as both a clinical office and the living room area of a house. These are the two locations in which the play is set, Eric’s family home and the psychiatrist’s office that he is required to visit. Light grey furnishings were used, including a small settee and two office chairs.
The production had a small cast of actors. David Hayman was incredible in his role. Even at the end, in spite of what happened, I somehow still managed to have some small amount of empathy for the character he portrayed. The other actors, in particular Eric’s psychiatrist, portrayed by Saskia Ashdown, were all fantastic.
The themes within the play were tough. It is a hard thing to hear when you are not used to being exposed to that kind of level of sectarianism on display. The divide there is between Celtic and Rangers paled into insignificance in relation to how it was displayed in this play. This wording below forms part of the synopsis on the play’s promotional flyer, “Content Warning: Cyprus Avenue contains strong language, discussion of sectarian themes and scenes of extreme violence (including towards a baby) that audience members may find disturbing.” Wow, you’re not wrong!
There is something about being in a room with actors that makes anything violent so much more upsetting and disturbing. I don’t watch television these days but when I used to, I felt there was a natural ‘desensitising’ that happened through the separation from the events happening through a screen. You have more awareness of it being fictional or historical. Even the news although real and actual events falls victim to that desensitising through the medium of television. Watching the play last night with the events being played out right in front of your eyes while you’re in the same pace with the characters took away the veil of the fictional. It felt very real. One audience member I could hear reacting to the action as if it was all real and you could hear how incredibly upset they were.
The play had a very shocking ending that I wasn’t quite prepared for. It almost felt wrong to give the actors a round of applause at the end of the performance but it was right to do so as they made it feel incredibly realistic. I’m not even sure I should say that I enjoyed it, but of course I did in the context of how well it was written and how well the actors performed.
Parts of it were hard to take in terms of the pro-Unionists that seemed to be present in the audience and how they appeared to relish and enjoy the inherent Catholic-bashing that the play addresses. That aspect of the night was deeply concerning. The play has had a run in Dublin and I can’t even imagine how that must have gone down with audiences there.
The play is something that will stay with me for a long time.
As for the Tron, on returning home, I looked at their website to look at what other productions will be on during the year. I will be going to another performance in a few weeks and hope to book another in the near future. I can’t book that one just yet, but I am very interested to go to it as it involves the story of Henrietta Lacks. I had read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks when the book was published in 2010 and found it a fascinating read. I hope to get to a performance of Family Tree.
Cyprus Avenue runs until 25 March at the Tron Theatre. Visit: tron.co.uk for booking information.
The first review I?ve ever read that?s put me off going because of the audience.
It did just feel like the real meaning of the thing was going over some people?s heads, you know? Like, they just can?t get that prejudice feeling out of their system. Some of these things remain scarily engrained and it continues to emerge through younger generations. It really is quite scary. I guess I?m just one of those loony leftie woke snowflakes though. 🙁
Totally agree with you. It?s still a blight on the city and I?m eternally grateful to my parents that I was never brought up like that.