Marina Carr’s play comes to life on screen, under Joe O’Byrne’s direction, with the mysterious and tense confrontation of Woman and Man. When Woman (played by Danielle Ryan), haunted by her dream of Cordelia and King Lear, confronts Man (Stephen Brennan), their disturbed relationship is exposed. As his musical protegé, she has come seeking enlightenment, but he orders silence. Stephen Brennan humanises and renders likeable the egotistical Man while Danielle Ryan captures the powerlessness and sentimentality of the young woman. Joe O’Byrne’s assured re-staging of Carr’s play for cinema by the Irish Repertory Theatre invites audiences to experience these two powerful performances in more intimate close-up than a theatre presentation could allow and confirms Marina Carr’s status as one of Ireland’s most acclaimed living playwrights.

The screening will be followed by a post-show discussion with Joe O’Byrne and Marina Carr hosted by Katy Hayes, Theatre Critic (Irish Independent).

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn.