10 February 2012 (Theatre Review)

Star Rating: 5/5

Billed as "a story of fantasy and reality colliding", I Was an Emperor is a fresh and compelling theatre piece from new theatre group The Jack Burdell Experience. Presented as part of their COLLABORATIONS Festival running in Smock Alley Theatre, the play opens with central character Andy being shown around her childhood home by an estate agent, and as she explores the house, memories and ghosts of the past come back to her as she examines moments from her childhood. Devised by the actors from old photographs of writer/actor Andy Crowe, this beautifully personal and engaging semi-autobiographical play is nothing short of fantastic.

As the audience is introduced to different aspects and characters from Andy’s childhood, the story is mostly lead by Andy and young Andy, played by Andy Crowe and Lorna Larkin respectively. To single them out as superb would be unfair to the rest of the cast, as the entire ensemble are outstanding in their performances, be it either the slow dead-pan murmurings of a grandmother or the demonic sounds of an imagined haunted fireplace. The pace and timing of their interactions is perfect and you can really sense the amount of pride and investment in the piece that the actors have made.

Echoes of Philadelphia Here I Come! are present, but it never strays into the insular and muddled world that Friel's play goes to, instead presenting a playful and inviting sense of familiarity and warmth without ever going over the top. The script has a beautiful honesty and is very Irish but never alienating and very relatable to anyone with vivid childhood memories. The play's progression is smooth and enchanting and strikes a remarkable balance between rose-tinted nostalgia, stark realism and hints of tragedy, with hysterical comic moments often coming shortly off the back of sincere poignancy.

Something must also be said of the staging and lighting, which was very low-tech in it's actual mechanics, but superbly effective in both the context of the subject matter and also the small confines of the always stunning Smock Alley Boys School. Colour, light and props were all presented in ways so varied and simple but simultaneously imaginative and precise that it was inspiring.

The only fault with I Was an Emperor is that it is over too fast. Not that it is too short, in fact it's length suits it perfectly, but I easily could have sat for another 50 minutes of the same. Here's hoping Ms. Crowe is inspired to do more.

If the standard of work from the rest of The Jack Burdell Experience is on par with I Was an Emperor, then the Dublin theatre scene is in for a fantastic new burst of energy and only good things lie ahead. Not to be missed.

I Was an Emperor runs until Saturday February 11th at 9pm in Smock Alley Theatre. Tickets from €10 available from entertainment.ie/tickets.

Review by: David O'Shaughnessy

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