REVIEW: THE WORDS ARE THERE by Ronan Dempsey at The Hope Theatre 14 – 24 Nov 2023

'highly emotive, bold and daring, it defies social norms’ ★★★★ ½

Had it not been for the audio playlists of recorded voiceover dialogues, special effects and ambience sounds playing in the background, The Words are There could well have been presented as a silent movie staged in a black box theatre. As in silent films, the narratives, the plot elements of the story and the emotions of the character are portrayed visually. The writer / director / actor Ronan Dempsey skilfully depicts a lonely sad figure of the character Mick arriving in worn out clothes at a seaside bedsit in Bettystown, Ireland. He inherited the property from his late mother and the small apartment had the bare minimum furniture and household cleaning supplies. On the floor, the alphabet letters T R I S H X were crafted from sheets of toilet paper. Trish is the name of Mick’s girlfriend, and he has returned to Ireland to prepare for her arrival. He gets desperate and anxious to make her feel welcome and, in the process, spills wine on the floor.

The audience is soon introduced to Trish, a floor mop, transformed in front of us into a human form after being propped up and taped to a standing floor lamp that has lost its lampshade. A pair of female shoes, a scarf and a shirt complete the look. Their ‘relationship’ takes them to the streets of Ireland during St Patrick's Day, dancing in various nightclubs, walking along the seacoast and enjoying everyday life in the apartment, ‘eating’ and washing dishes. The tone of the scenes shifts, revealing a darker past that explores the subject of domestic violence towards men, with the male victim enduring emotional, mental and physical abuse. The build up to the violence has been slow in pace and gradual and comes to full force quite shockingly. Trish’s obsessive and controlling behaviour towards Mick draws him further down a path of fear and withdrawal and his stutter worsens.

Ronan’s physical theatre abilities in enacting the events and activities through miming and precise gestures are captivating. This one man show play by Ronan Dempsey and Nth Degree Productions is highly emotive, bold and daring and defies social norms.  It is a great reminder of theatre being a medium to create social awareness and carry such an important message.

Read our interview with Ronan Dempsey here

THE WORDS ARE HERE

Writer-director-actor RONAN DEMPSEY

Venue THE HOPE THEATRE, ISLINGTON

Performances 14TH - 25TH NOVEMBER

Box Office https://www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/the-words-are-there/

Producer NTH DEGREE PRODUCTIONS

Lighting designer BRIAN NUTLEY

Sound designer GAVIN HENNESSY

Production photographer STE MURRAY DESIGN

Reviewed by Melanie Lam