●●●●●
Waiting in the Abbey’s lobby before the show, I am struck by the diversity of this audience. While still a female majority attending, there are far more than a few ‘token’ men, and the age range spans from the show’s 16s ratings to an older generation. Many pairs appear to be ‘mothers and daughters’ of all ages; myself and my mum included. Perhaps this is the reason why the audience is so chatty before the show, ignoring the overhead announcements in a loud murmur. Only when our lead lady Emma (Lauren Coe) walks onstage does a hush descend. It is this pin-drop complete silence that captivates the audience for the next three hours, until the ensemble begins to bow.
Asking For It is Meadhbh McHugh’s adaptation of Louise O’Neill’s YA novel of the same name. It tells the story of Emma O’Donovan, a young girl studying for her Leaving Cert in Cork, and the aftermath of what happens when a wild night with her friends results in a life-changing night for all. This is, of course, a gross oversimplification of the emotional and gut-wrenching facets which Asking For It incurs: the play examines small-town mentality; the effects of social media on today’s youth; alcoholism; depression; grief; ‘lad culture’; rape. There are very few contemporary trigger warnings that the play does not touch on. And it is absolutely stupendous.
To see such a young and incredibly skilled ensemble of this play is refreshing. Lauren Coe plays the flighty, stressed, confused Emma with immense skill, portraying the complications of being a teenage girl with masterminded skill. Her presence bounces off those playing her school friends, a complicated group of boys and girls all with their own differentiated insecurities, issues, dreams and feelings. Director Annabelle Comyn does not shy away from the most horrifying aspects of the case, and includes several unattractive reflections by the cast on Emma’s character early on. It is this character statement compared to her macho, GAA-playing perpetrators which stings in the tail during the aftermath.
Paul O’Mahony’s set design and Sinead McKenna’s lighting did absolute justice to the acting onstage. The set begins as a closed grid of transparent cubes, used initially as a projector for video and overhead sound, opening up for school scenes and parties, but its roof closes over during the second act. It focuses on the microcosm of the family, and the effects of the incident on a broken family. Ali White and Frank McCusker are well-timed, portraying parents who are as horrified with their daughter as they are with the incident. Paul Mescal as Emma’s brother Bryan is superb, offering a poignant and empathetic viewpoint. The intense dynamic of the family is as enthralling as it is nauseous; the four onstage explore the fine line between giving up and support, and examine how toxic the unsaid can be.
At both the interval and end of the play, the audience stood in stunned silence for minutes. I have never seen an audience so captivated; tears could be seen rushing down silent faces during the closing standing ovation. To see such discourse on the stage of our national theatre feels important. It is representative of the progress this country has made; but it is the radio report on the way home about the victim-blaming protest in Cork that proves this conversation is far from being over.
Asking For It runs at the Abbey Theatre from 9-24 November 2018.
