REVIEW: There’s No Place Like Home

Explaining this play to a friend by throwing together a quick synopsis would probably give off the wrong idea. Whilst it’s about a woman getting older and facing the pressure of her children wanting her to go into a home, the nature of the majority of the characters makes it rather light-hearted and fluffy. However, that is not to say that there aren’t some touching moments thanks to Derval Girvan and Micky Carolan who play the older pair, Alice and Jimmy.

This is a play that sparks a number of emotions, despite its overall lightness. Brother and sister, Barry and Barbara, played by Kevin Campbell and Laragh Cullen, served up a treat of believable and familiar sibling rivalry. Cullen’s ability to throw spiteful, cutting looks never faltered throughout, and her sharpness prevailed every time, leaving poor Barry to look the fool. Apart from Carolan’s character, men come out of this play looking less than admirable. Barry is a typical sleaze who has left his wife for a younger woman, and Cormac (Mark Shields) is Barbara’s husband who, not very subtly, lusts after the same woman in a way that would make any audience member wince. Cormac finds himself on the end of Barbara’s sharp tongue (not in a good way) so much throughout the play that you really begin to wish he would give her a good telling off. He doesn’t though. He just puts up with it, whilst at the same time Barry realises he wants his wife back.

A standout scene occurs when Barry and his young thing (brilliantly accented by Caroline O’Neill) buys his mother a new rocking chair for her birthday. Unfortunately for them it collapses into pieces once Alice tries it out, and the audience is treated to a great piece of old fashioned slapstick.

It was appropriate that the play ended with Carolan and Girvan on stage, as their partnership was what made this play truly touching and worth seeing. Both actors made their characters very believable and the fact that they were older added some intrigue to their personalities. Was it plausible to think they’d get married? It didn’t really matter, as the final scene came to a close with a romantic embrace and…bubbles. As always, there’s no place like CRAIC Theatre when you want a bit of light entertainment!