08 Jul 2025
Deborah Heath is at the Abbey Theatre for Company of Ten’s production of Shelagh Stevenson’s drama…
Lia and Nick are living on the edge, waiting to discover the fate of their 20 year old son who had disappeared during his gap year.
This is a fantastic set-up for an affecting play and as the mother of two teenage boys I arrived prepared for bad dreams and plenty of tears. I simply cannot imagine anything worse than being in this situation and being thrust into the action in a studio theatre, there would be no escape!
Experienced director, Rosemary Goodman had assembled a dedicated and talented cast which was a wise move given that the play was staged in the round. I have often seen this executed badly but not in this case. The actors had been skilfully directed to leave every side covered. Well done!
Amanda Shipman’s stage design concept felt spot-on in its simplicity. The date projections on two sides of the studio helped to indicate the passing of time during this drama. Teresa Frame’s props too were impressive in an appropriately understated way. I loved the multi-functional desk which was expertly converted by the hard working stage crew. A carefully selected soundtrack would have elevated the action further but this is a small quibble.
Amy Walliker (Lia) and Matt Hughes-Short (Nick) gave a very convincing portrayal as husband and wife. They had a hard job in conveying parental loss because the script was not always there to support them, a mater I will explore later, but I admired their commitment. I welcomed the change of energy brought about by dynamic characters such as Amy Wedgewood’s media babe, Joanna and I liked the way her character’s change was executed in Act II.
Chris Gibson’s portrayal of bruff grandfather Gordon was fun and I was delighted to see regular CoT director Maureen Buhkt in an acting role. Her interpretation of Joyce, “sensitive not psychic” was expertly handled.
Skilled young performer Chris Vincent as Adam was outstanding in his complicated role and I admired his bravery needed for some moments in the play. Rosemary Goodman had clearly worked hard with her dedicated team of actors and has much to be proud of.
If I have a reservation with this play it has nothing to do with CoT’s strong realisation of it but more to do with the script itself.
Lia’s role was made particularly hard by the point at which the author had chosen to start the action of the play. It begins when the parents have already settled into a sort of numbness whereas starting it even a week earlier would have given Lia more opportunities to capture he raw despair of a mother who has lost her only child.
However there are many strong moments in the script, including the pace and darkness of Act II and the surprising end to Act I which I loved.
‘Enlightenment’ is a very engaging concept for a play and CoT have realised it well. I particularly like Rosemary Goodman’s choice of staging it in the round in the studio theatre. Well done to all those involved and I have no doubt this will be another sell-out studio run.
