The Brightening Air completely caught us off guard – we weren’t expecting Conor McPherson’s family drama to be one of the funniest plays we’ve seen in a long time, but it really made us laugh a lot. The subject matter doesn’t lend itself to comedy – the focus is on siblings squabbling over the inheritance of a property in rural Ireland in the 1980s – and yet it has a brilliantly naturalistic, conversational humour which we immediately warmed to.
We are introduced to brothers and sister Dermot (Chris O’Dowd), Stephen (Brian Gleeson) and Billie (Rosie Sheehy) – all individually excellent and very believable as siblings – in the decaying family farmhouse, which Stephen and Billie have been scraping by in for years; existing, rather than living. Dermot has returned alongside their uncle Pierre (Seàn McGinley), a former priest, and Pierre’s housekeeper Elizabeth (Derbhle Crotty). Over the evening we meet Dermot’s estranged wife Lydia (Hannah Moorish) and new teenage girlfriend Freya (Aisling Kearns) as well as occasional farmhand Brendan (Eimhin Fitzgerald Doherty).
It’s not a play in which a huge amount actually happens – really it’s a series of discussions about who owns what in terms of the family house, and proposed changes to living arrangements – but it provides an entertaining and enjoyable two and a half hours at the theatre. There are some wonderfully unexpected punchlines – Billie in particular has a blunt way with words – deployed with expert comic timing throughout.
The play also features some slightly surreal scenes – there’s a superstitious subplot involving magical water, and we seemingly witness a miracle on stage – but we were able to suspend our disbelief for these moments, as they felt in keeping with the nature of characters involved.
The Brightening Air gets the basics right – it’s a well-written play performed by an excellent company of actors, and sometimes that’s all you need. On paper it may not sound like much, but trust us when we say this makes for a hugely enjoyable evening.
GAY TIMES gives The Brightening Air – 4/5
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