ALSO PLAYING
Amid the initial blast of profanities and the indirect storytelling, it takes a while to get attuned to The Last Days Of
Cleopatra (New Theatre, until April 1 It’s the story of a family at odds with each other. They generally just deliver monologues to the audience in a mixture of dislocated dialogue and narration. That they are rarely shown speaking directly to each other emphasises their alienation. Their dying mother is the main source of antagonism. But the family gradually emerges into a recognisable unit as the writing gives emotional depth and shape to its frailties. The feckless father, Harry (Ger Carey), who idolised his wife as his Cleopatra, can always find excuses for his failings. Brother Jackey (Ruaidhrí Conroy) works in a shop in a capacity he likes to portray as more important than it is. The feisty, sexually vulnerable sister Natalie – played by the writer of the play Laoisa Sexton – dominates as the conscience of the family, who works as a kids’ party fairy or possibly reluctant bunny girl. Sexton is a talented writer and performer and she creates a credible figure who takes in the whole gamut from foul-mouthed aggression to caring daughter. But the play has an expletive and sexual overload and the sexual writing at the end seems like a gratuitous attempt to add depth to Jackey’s character.