REVIEW: KITES by Tzarini Meyler at The Vaults Festival, Cage, 7 – 12 March 2023

‘a lovely piece that brings the audience along every step of the way’ ★★★★

KITES is an enjoyable and heartwarming portrayal of sisterhood set in post war Ireland. We watch charismatic Kitty (Tzarini Meyler), a larger-than-life Irish girl carrying the weight of all the insecurities of womanhood in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, befriend Angel (Ana Canals), a Spanish native who is just looking for a home. We watch the girls grow from children, to teenagers, to young adults, to women as their wild imaginations take us to beaches, ballrooms and fun fairs, Ireland, Spain, and New York. Despite being set in the latter half of the twentieth century the girls’ playful friendship, that attempts to drown their burdens and insecurities in escapism and make-believe, is something anyone that has been a young girl can relate to. By the end of the piece, we really feel as we have been in amongst the girls’ friendship, forming an honest and joyful trio between us, Kitty, and Angel.

Meyler’s script was vivid, jumping from narration to song to reminiscing to dialogue. Meyler was able to use the dialect of different places and times well. There were moments of joy and laughter contrasted with moments of sadness and sorrow, and anger and protest. The dialogue between Kitty and Angel felt natural and the characters were developed well throughout.

However, as we travelled across different pinnacle moments in the girls’ lives from childhood to adulthood, Meyer’s script ran risk of feeling repetitive as each new decade, marked by a new scene and a different costume sourced by costume designer Rory Meyler, followed a similar structure and rhythm to the one before. If this play were to be any longer Meyer would need to think about not only making each decade look different, through the direction of the piece, but also how to make it feel different through its writing.

Canals and Meyler performed well. It is clear that they both adored their characters as much as the audience grew to. They supported one another kindly and worked as a great ensemble. They dealt with the growing-up of the characters well and offered subtle changes as we worked through the decades. Even with a small audience these two actresses offered energetic performances.

Connor Dee’s sound design was a stand-out part of this production. They mixed accompanying music that transported the audience from place to place with Kate Firth’s impressive voice over work. We were moved from being read an Enid Blytonesque tale of two girls in the 60s to the battle cries of the Spanish Civil War. It felt very filmic and suited the storybook nature of the whole piece. The use of multiple costume costumes and props, all coming out of two cardboard boxes was an effective technique in bringing the audience into the playfulness of the girls’ imaginations. We felt as if we were delving through their dressing up boxes with them. You can tell that every aspect of this piece has been put there for a reason and is used as a tool to emphasise the elicit imaginations and childlike friendship of Kitty and Angel. I only wish that more of the large stage could have been used.

Overall, this is a lovely piece that brings the audience along every step of the way. The script and performances are good and the sound and design successfully elevate the work. Those that go on to see KITES on its “return home” to Cork, later this month, are sure to make two incredible new friends in Kitty and Angel. They will be swept away by their stories and imaginations and blown away by their resilience during decades when growing from a girl to a woman was even harder than it is today. Although, thanks to a one-of-kind friendship Kitty and Angel’s hardships are made a little bit easier.

Photo credit: Juan Sánchez

KITES

Written by Tzarini Meyler | Directed by Graham Butler Breen

VAULT Festival, Cage, 7 – 12 March 2023

LipZinc Theatre

Twitter: @lipzinc

Reviewed by Amy Tickner