WORDS Katherine Murphy
During the play the name Jezebel is described as being “a beautiful, melodramatic name” and the same could be said for this play. It’s beautifully funny and tirelessly melodramatic, challenging the audience and characters alike to stay abreast of the frantic action, from the bedroom to the stage.
And this action centers on Alan (Pater Daly) and Robin (Margaret McAuliffe), a couple whose nightly escapades include everything from tape and tennis balls to the kitchen tablecloth (because it is machine-washable). This sexual bucket list brings them to Jezebel (Valerie O’Connor), a quirky and kooky artist who’s down on luck and love. After an acutely described threesome, complications arise and wires get crossed.
This is an extremely talented ensemble, negotiating spilt second scene changes with an astonishing vocal range. Jumping between the role of narrators and characters, their sense of frantic energy often fuels the writing behind it. Valerie O’Connor can be a little grating in the beginning, but grows into her role as the show goes on. She becomes less irritating and more likeable as the confusions arise utilizes a great mock shock face while being pampered to by the couple. Margaret McAuliffe is particularly well-cast, coming across as an independent woman, with the slightest hint of aggression.
The phrase ‘LOL’ is bandied about far too often these days, but it’s rare to find a play in which the audience is so willing and ready to laugh out loud. Mark Cantan graduated the Rough Magic SEEDS programme last year and his comic debut is uproariously funny and well crafted. Managing keep up the frantic pace he sets in the opening scene, he maintains this energy throughout. It’s unashamedly funny, which is unusual to see these days, and it doesn’t try to be touching or sentimental. Cantan realizes that his strength lies in allowing these larger than life characters to occupy their own space: the nerdy statistician, the ‘go get it’ woman, and the zany artist. The audience quickly realizes that the resolution can only occur when all three are in harmony with each other, and at eighty minutes, it’s perfectly timed to find that harmony in the disharmonious chaos.
In saying that some of the comic moments do not land as well as they should. There are so many that the below average punch lines get lost in the frantic waves. The lighting is understated, but comes to the forefront in nightclub scenes and orchestrates scene changes in a swift manner. On more than one occasion a scene change was not punctuated by a lighting change, and this felt a little disjointed. The cast of three wore basic costumes, with Jezebel’s patchwork coat demarcating her as the ‘artistic type’ from the moment she walks on stage.
Ciaran O’Melia’s use of a white box in a black space worked well, and gave the piece a contemporary edge from the word go. With the look of a stripped-back IKEA showroom, the clean lines of the set jarred with the messy personal baggage onstage in a delightful way. Director Lynn Parker’s use of the set was, for the most part, well-executed and the actors responded well to the terseness of the timing.
In short, Jezebel is just like the character it is named after: wildly entertaining, a tad ridiculous, but always good humored. It certainly isn’t the most important play in terms of content, but it if you’re in the mood to laugh then three is your kind of company after all.
Jezebel is now on tour until 22 March. It returns to Dun Laoghaire’s Pavilion Theatre between 27 February -1 March.
