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Liam Heylin’s original play Lex Talionis is presented by Wandering Star Theatre Company. The play, subtitled “A Tale of Vengeance & Feathers”, follows four Cork-based birds (not women, actual birds, though each is played by a woman) as they navigate social and racial divides with very real consequences.
The play’s title, which means “an eye for an eye”, gives some indication as to its concerns, as characters are made to cope with tragic events, real cruelty, and revenge. The play deals extremely well with issues of belonging and (pointedly, punnily) ‘nature’ vs. nurture. The convincing Cork idiom sustained throughout, coupled with countless bird puns, helps to flesh out the world of the play, separating the birds from humans while keeping their ways and personalities recognisable. Indeed, Heylin’s decision to tell this story through the medium of fable obscures the play’s message and thereby successfully broadens its scope – moral questions are teased out in a way that is powerful yet opaque enough not to be preachy. We are constantly reminded that birds should stick to their own kind (birds of a feather, etc.) but the supposedly clear distinction between rooks and magpies in the play is not left unexamined; there is a touching yet complex commentary on race, class and gender in these distinctions between types of birds.
Indeed, one struggles to escape the feeling that this play is “about” something, and perhaps, as a result, the characters are based on familiar tropes as opposed to any really excellent character-writing. Dónie (Bláithín MacGabhann) is “bad news”, Mooney (Sinéad Donnelly) is hopelessly innocent but unfailingly kind, Hugh (Aisling McCarthy) is a young, devoted father and Max (Sinéad McGee) is trying to find a sense of identity. The fact that the characters are largely archetypes lends itself to the engaging social commentary and the brief runtime, but I was only the more impressed by the tremendous performances director Katrina Foley elicits from her cast. Foley’s Wandering Star Theatre Company has transformed a good play into a great play, and each of the young actors shows early signs of outstanding performing ability.
The bare set is a really delightful reminder that writing and performance of quality shouldn’t feel that it needs expensive sets or props. Lighting designer Jamie Feehily (who also worked with Foley and stage manager Aoife Clarke on the Cork Midsummer Festival performance earlier this year), celebrates Smock Alley Theatre Boys School’s old church wall, which forms the backdrop to a stage that is littered with pieces of paper and bits of dirt. Good use is made of the balconies that skirt the theatre, with actors frequently circling the audience like – birds – in a way that simply and effectively communicates their movements.
Heylin has penned a worthy addition to this year’s Fringe Festival. However, the real reason you should go see this play is the masterful performances, which ensure the emotional weight of the play is never lost in its puns.
Lex Talionis ran in the Smock Alley Theatre Boys’ School from 13-16 September as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival.
