What would you do if you were sitting one day, minding your own business, eating your cereal in front of the telly when there is a blast and a wall catastrophes its way into your living room?
The picture on the telly goes and your Mum and Dad are trapped behind said wall and in between trying to find out if they’re still alive, you listen to the news on the radio.
Turns out, a Holy House that is reputed to be where the Virgin Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel and so conceived Jesus has disappeared from Italy! This house was clearly at one time in Nazareth and had flitted to Tuscany so what is a person to think other than that a miracle has arrived at their feet?
This is the alarming event that happens to Sam, an unemployed 24 year old with a bit of a weight problem who is living at home with his folks. He sets out to face his day with this miracle in his head and a whole new outlook on life with this “...cosmic wake up call for the formerly deaf...”
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is just carrying on in its own random, chaotic way so his encounters with his blind and bigoted grandfather, his self mutilating mental dentist, a wise and non P.C . foreign cleaner with a laissez-faire use of the C word, a pair of radge weans followed by their battling, drug-addicted parents and of course his chlamydia infected girlfriend and her porn watching dad.
This myriad of roles is played with energetic aplomb by Molly Innes and Liam Brennan who switch clothes and accents with ease and dexterity as they play to Grant O’Rourke, who gives his all to the central character, the bemused and terrified Sam.
A dark and funny play, it has great lines like a ‘belly fat with emptiness’. While watching the play, the scenes showing each part of Sam’s day seem disconnected and strange and could almost work autonomously.
The dialogue is well observed, absolutely accurate and credible for the various voices.
The biblical references like Sam being washed in blood of the lamb (OK, roadkill) and a physician (OK, a dentist) ‘healing’ himself add subtle layers to this secular road to Damascus.
The play starts with actual smoke and mirrors and concludes with exposing the illusion that life is anything other than madness and chaos.
Show runs til 28 Aug
Ticket prices are £6 - £17