To the sound of whooping gulls and a swooshing tide on a shingly shore, a woman holding an empty lead steps out against a screened seascape scene and throws something for a dog to fetch. It is Dublin’s Burrow beach and the woman is Jane MacDonald (Carol Caffrey). She is about to record her last will and testament for her estranged siblings, Annie and Patrick. They are about to benefit from the ridiculous scam that took four canine legs and ran retrieving her and her equally feckless business partner an unholy fortune.
Over the 45 minutes, a sad and at times bitter tale unfolds from this wild gal at the end of her life who swigs from a hip flask over the narration. As the lovely line at the end says, you never know what “the waves of the mind cast up”. Even these low points are delivered with a lightness and irreverent Irish humour skims across the piece like Jane MacDonald’s stones across the water. Her bond with her late son Julian’s lover, Garry, in their cheeky enterprise that capitalised on the guileless idiocy of pet lovers is touching as is her generally unconventional way of living and way of seeing the world. This nicely timed show ends with her disappearing off while whistling for Whiskey the Dug.
Caffrey who is returning to the stage after a 24 year break proved herself a real trouper as she soldiered on in spite of unfortunate door slamming and loud music from next door in the small low ceilinged venue. Noises off may be annoying but they also give a sense of the real Fringe experience in this free show.
Music for Dogs is produced by Paris-based English language Theatre Company Dear Conjunction , is written by award-winning Irish poet, playwright and Ireland Professor of Poetry, Paula Meehan.
This is a fine piece of prose poetry that is performed in the storytelling tradition with an honesty that deserves to be heard.
18th – 29th August at 11.10 am age recommend 16+