The Bridge Below the Town, written by Patrick McCabe and directed by Padraic McIntyre, is an affecting exploration of the subconscious of rural small-town Ireland in the 1950s. Past and present, memory and hallucination become confused in the reminiscences of Golly Murray as she reflects on her life as a neighbour, wife and mother with a mysterious ghost-like figure (Damien Devany).
It is the excellent acting which makes this production. Barbara Bergin enthrals as Golly in a state of mental unravelment. The oppressive pressures of small town malice, coupled with the manipulation of the Catholic Church, precipitate this downward spiral. Yet through her nuanced performance Bergin resists debasing Golly to a hysterical invalid, ensuring the audience empathises with her throughout. The cast of six manage to effortlessly switch between a plethora of small-town character tropes; the bored housewife, the gossip, the morally questionable priest, the only gay ousted from the community, the simple husband, the eccentric activist. Gina Moxley stands out in both of her character portrayals; first as a gossiping housewife and then more brilliantly as the servile housekeeper-cum-lover of parish priest Fr. Hands (Malcolm Adams).
The linear structure of the play is constantly interrupted by jarring music and character intervention, serving as important dramatic devices which reflect the mental instability of Golly and her confusing world. Silence is as disturbing as loud intrusions. Even in moments of apparent peace, Golly is never free from the constraints of her mind – the drip of a tap infuriates her and sparks the initial hallucinations. Similarly, the bright and increasingly gaudy lighting is effective in showing the disorder of a simple world; as vindictive characters monopolise local politics, psychedelic green and red lighting becomes the norm.
McIntyre manages to inject well-timed comedy throughout. Janet Moran is brilliantly wicked as the image-obsessed Blossom, the town bitch, flirt and queen bee, whilst Adams draws laughs from the audience as power-hungry but guilt-ridden Fr. Hands (in one scene jealousy of his rival priest leads him to dream of a boxing match between the two, complete with nuns as the ring card girls). Roseanna Purcell commands the stage in her range of characters, epitomising black comedy as Mrs Boo assisting Golly in her decision to go down to the bridge, the site of her nightmares, from the inside of a fridge.
The production engages both visually and aurally without being too slick or overdone. The audience is kept guessing right until the very last scene, ensuring their attention is held for the duration of the performance. Despite its very definite 1950s setting, the sense that this is a play of any and every time is inescapable. After the success of The Dead School in 2010, the second joint venture between McCabe and McIntyre does not disappoint.
Performance reviewed took place in the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, on 25 March. The play runs at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght, from 1 April– 5 April.
