Revisiting Cirque de Rêves, Bewley's Cafe Theatre @ Powerscourt

Time does go by quickly. Taking my seat in Bewley's Cafe Theatre, under some traingular bunting, at a table with a candle in the middle and two small, metal goblets alongside, I reminded myself that a year ago I interviewed the writer, Katie McCann, and the director, Jeda de Brí ahead of the opening of this play. There was something about the idea of the show that intrigued me, so I went asking questions. It wasn't long until I was sitting in a theatre watching the talked about play unfold and spring into life for the first time. Back then, it enthralled and delighted me for a number of reasons: the preformances, the writing and the staging. There is a danger with re-viewing a play, in the true sense of the word: Will it stand up to the first encounter, or the memory of it, or has time, or a new space, changed any of it? Theatre happens in the moment. It is alive for that instant, shared by those there and then it is no more. As was mentioned in a documentary I saw recently called Now, you can miss theatre, the way I missed this play's short season last Christmas. And now it is back, and so am I.

The questions posed above can be answered simply: time has not diminished my view of it at all. It is still the wonderful, enthralling and enjoyable play it was before. Perhaps there is more confidence, especially in the performances. Katie McCann's play is a take on the Victorian world, The Ripper getting a mention in the beginning, while it starts in the back lanes of Dickensian style London, where Fagin and Bill Sykes might be lurking. It does this through a combination of the sum of its parts and the quality of the writing and delivery.

It was delightful to know what was coming up next and there were scenes I wanted to enjoy again. To loose myself in the wonderful staging, which is quite superb, that needs to be executed with the timing and precision of a dancer, choreographed to the second; to enjoy the performances of all involved - Katie McCann, Finbarr Doyle, Kevin C Olohan and Clodagh Mooney Duggan - and realise what a wonderful mix of Victorian storytelling and the modern wink to sillyness it contains. There are some wonderful touches along the way such as the fireplace, the clock, the use of the wardrobe, and the various chests and trunks that make up the set. 

It is the story of Poppy Parker, told by Mr Sparrow and Mr. Nightingale, a cautionary tale to a girl wanting to run away from home and join the circus; the stuff of childhood fantasy and Enid Blyton. The girl is not as convinced, something we see a few times as we break out of the story. When a circus arrives in Potter's Field - something far more exciting than the arrival of ribbons in the local shop - and Poppy simply must go. Her teacher, Mr Killjay, takes them to it as a sociological outing, one that will be tested. Here we meet the mysterious people of the circus by way of the wonderful clown scene, the fortune teller and the nearly 'washed up' magician. There are some jabs at the acting life and artists as well. The performances are excellent and manage to deliver it with the seriousness it needs, without taking itself too serious. A great feat.

The cast is the same as before, with Mooney Duggan taking on the role of Poppy Parker, a touch of Jo March (she played a version of Jo in Teri Fitzgerald's outrageous The Wise Wound during the year), someone who wants to break free from the strictures of her life, her risk averse father and classmates. Someone looking for adventure, a quality that Mooney Duggan instils brilliantly into her part. All others play a variety of characters, each different than the one before, and becoming them in a turn, yet not making us wonder who they are now. Finbarr Doyle and Kevin C Olohan create a wonderful clown scene, while giving menance to their more serious characters, while Olohan's Tristan is the boy with his eye on Poppy. While writer and actor Katie McCann's fortune teller is very funny, and her living doll well executed, her clock is brilliant. There are so many characters played by this trio, and each distinctly drawn, it is a credit to them and highlights their talent. The years gap and the quality of the perfomances shows the consistency and skill of this troupe.

This is a wonderful show for the season - for any time - and should not be missed. It is funny, witty, well performed by all. It enthralled and filled me with wonder all over again. On second viewing it worked its magic, and I am sure we haven't seen the last of Cirques de Rêves. But hopefully this circus will travel far and wide, as it deserves to do.