The Ref, The Pearse Centre

Sitting into the Pearse Centre for Sean Denyer and Acting Out's take on this event, less than a year after the result was announced on a sunny day in May, brought it all back. Denyer, with his song writing collaborators Cal Folger Day and Mark Power (Power being fifty percent of electro duo Eden) take us back through the eyes of one family with two gay parents, Susanne and Clive, and Oisin, played with a wink and a sense of teenage angst and his despair of his uncool parents by Lorcan McElwain, an embodiment of the political awakening of young people, a facet of the referendum itself, as were the many who came back from abroad to vote. 

The Ref uses the beyond intimate and small space of the Pearse Centre (my first visit here as well) with two black flats with small, square wooden doors, with a white chalk location descriptor that gets wiped and rewritten during the course of the show and the changing locations. A rough and ready look, against which the characters must have colour and thankfully the mains do, including short blond haired 'No' campaigner and religious fervent Deirdre Kilbride (Mark Power who is also MD), helped by her son, Damien (David Browne), who knows a thing or two about Twitter. 

The story takes us down an infiltration route as Clive becomes Seamy O'Toole, a gay man who is voting 'no', attempting to add a farce like quality. Before this, they are involved in the door to door canvassing, knocking on diverse strangers doors and getting a response either for or against (even water charges get a look in) was very calm rather than being a bit more manic and the small doors that reveal the faces didn't really come off, but in the small space it might have been the best route. Here farce can work well, it might be suspected.

Songs are part of the package, although despite some good moments to burst into them earlier they are left until the last third. At a debate where the 'host' will have 'no opinion' allows all to get five minutes to make their case. It is here in this Caberet style appears and it all truly comes alive. The joy of comic songs means points can be made in a fun, satirical way especially when the music is well written. The best song is given to Kilbride, on its own without lyrics it is a wonderful melody sung very well by Power who really delivered it with a little riff at the end, and a highlight of the night. The music was recorded and space wise and cost is an obvious reason why, but you can't beat live music, something I noted in a previous review, with recordings timings can go out, and sound wise the transition isn't so smooth from no mics.

The last sequence, in front of a screen that showed the winning day, is heartfelt and stirring, leaving us with a spring in our steps as the day itself did. It is entertaining but more songs would be a blessing, as it worked best with them, and with some tightening up here and there it may well have some legs. But the spirit of the piece is the spirit of that day in May, and in that, they capture it just right.