11 February 2012 (Theatre Review)

Star Rating: 4/5

Title: Da
Venue: The Gate
Dates: Until the 31st of March, 7.30pm
Price: From €25
Director: Toby Frow
Writer: Hugh Leonard
Cast: Ingrid Craigie, Stuart Graham, Rebecca Grimes, John Kavanagh, Deirdre Monaghan, Tadhg Murphy, Owen Roe, Stephen Swift.

Hugh Leonard's semi-autobiographical play, as suggested in the title, revolves around the oft proclaimed ignorant patriarch that dominated his adopted son's life and subconscious long after his demise. Leonard depicts himself through Charlie, a character who is split into that theatrical alter ego so loved by Irish Playwrights. Tadhg Murphy plays the youthful, naïve Charlie, only beginning to struggle with this father/son relationship that would later become such a defining element of his psychological DNA.

This latter period of Charlie's life is tackled by Stuart Graham who handles the expatriate's bitter superiority with aplomb. Murphy and Graham mirror each other wonderfully, with the latter peppering their shared mannerisms with an English intonation and the edginess of a man desperate to leave his past shut firmly within the decrepit and grimy walls of the family home.

The play opens on Charlie, black armband in place over his trench coat, pilfering through the remnants of his recently departed father's life. Despite occasionally shoving a memory or two into the stove, Charlie's background refuses to be extinguished as the spectres of his mother, father and his young self wander the house at will, forcing Charlie to interrogate that which he tried to escape from across the Irish Sea.

Fittingly Owen Roe is the stand out star of this show. Roe brings an endearing and warm element to the character of Da which is entirely at odds with the anger and frustration he evokes in his son. His one liners and explicit simplicity are a thin veil for the loyalty and dedication beneath, qualities that not only elude his son but which are little consolation for his wife (Ingrid Craigie) who is resentful for a life she feels she was tricked into. Adopted as a baby Charlie, like his mother, can never quite come to terms with life with a man they struggle to relate to, and this is what makes Da such a tragic play doused in heartbreak.

Leonard doesn't succeed in resolving the angst between father and son, nor does Charlie put his demons behind him. Instead what we have is a sketch of the conflict that so often arises when one's parents have the audacity to suddenly reveal themselves to be people. Together Charlie's present and past selves try to come to terms with this fact, whether it be through acceptance or escapism, and they do so in Da amidst an arsenal of wit, flowing language and with the help of a cast and set which keeps you interested throughout.

Review by: Lauren O'Toole

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