The Astonished Heart, The Players Theatre @ Trinity College

In Noel Coward's one act play, produced by Behind the Moon and presented as part of the 12th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, psychiatrist Chris (Colin Walsh), falls in love with his wife, Barbara's (Michelle Reade) best friend, Leon (Steven Masterson), whereas in the the original script Leon is Leonora. In this one act play sex, sexuality and love, as well as the effects of an affair, are looked at in what is at times an intense, if somewhat very uneven production, that crosses over into melodrama more than anything else. 

The opening is an interesting moment, where Chris, being lit well from different angles by Kris Mooney, seems distant from his wife Barbara, who looks anything but happy. This is paced slow and allows the mood to catch, and is then followed immediately by a bright scene with Barbara meeting 'old school friend' Leon, having not seen each other for years.

This is all played out on a simple set: a double bed with red sheets, that is used to the full, being moved from one point to another to denote change of rooms, and a chair with a small table with a bottle and glasses on it in this deep playing space in the Players theatre, while a shattered heart hangs above the stage. A symbol of what is occurring in the play.

While the cast of three gave it what they could, it did seem at times that Coward's language, in this modern updating of the story, felt unnatural, or was delivered almost like Shakespeare, language from a different age at odds with the new setting, while at other times it flowed naturally. A similar thing could be seen with the movements in the early stages, where it felt a little awkward and out of place. As the story unfolded, there was some intensity, but little lightness, as it became more physical, and then even violent. It didn't have the flow that other directorial work from O'Keefe has. 

It is an interesting idea, swapping Leonara for Leon, adding to the piece a different dimension and angle, while keeping in with the original idea, while also showing the effects affairs can have on people. In the end, this production didn't quite come together as planned, the language and setting jarring with each other, and not really having the full impact that was no doubt intended. It does also come with a note that it contains scenes of a sexual nature.