REVIEW: One-man show fills the stage at National Opera House
A Story of Destiny, written and performed with unstoppable energy by Robert Power, was staged at The National Opera House recently with a matinee performance for schoolgoers from Gorey, Adamstown and Enniscorthy, as part of a nationwide tour which has so far entertained audiences in Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary.
The play, which is set in an institution, is a psychological thriller weaved with dark comedy and had the sold out audience in complete silence throughout. Within a haunting and atmospheric cell, the occupant plays with the senses of the audience as he recalls the events in his life which centre around the murder of a woman, and ultimately led to his incarceration.
Power is an enchanting storyteller who weaves the tale with unexpected moments, full of beauty and eeriness, as he pieces fragments together in an attempt to justify his actions and put language on his loss, love, hatred and revenge.
The changing moods and personalities of the character fill the stage, making it easy to forget that this is a one-man show.
There is poetry, Shakespeare, music and indeed a tune for every tale, with a soundscape that includes Shostakovich, Mahler and Rachmaninov.
This is a play where nothing is what it seems. The cell and all its contents are a patchwork of order, chaos, art and illusion. Possibly a mirror of the occupant’s brain. In the end we wonder where he is going, what world is on the other side of the cell door.
We wonder so many things and every time we think we find an answer, there is another question.