Wild and delightfully unfocused
Summary
Rating
Good
Marching on to stage decked out like a Fringe Dolly Parton, Síomha Hennessy commands the stage in a madcap hour featuring stand-up comedy, music and more than a few flying projectiles. Supported by Brian Rafferty who compliments her cowboy boots with his own cowboy hat as he plays a jolly keyboard throughout, Hennessy delivers delightful moments in a varied cabaret act that can stumble at times.
This isn’t for want of trying – Hennessy not only plays the guitar with ease but can often hit some quite engaging notes as she sings her way through original music numbers that transition between the various stand-up sections quite gracefully. The show’s opening is strong as Hennessy croons over her lack of stardom, bemoaning how hard it’ll be for her to make any impressive ‘30 under 30 list’ now that she’s…well…37.
It’s an opening that plays into the show’s thematic core, centering on this character’s affinity for all things sad and toxic, including everything from a precisely defined and constantly unavailable love interest to an arts industry that can so often chew people up before spitting them back out, with its harsh preference for youth and novelty over wisdom and experience.
Less strong are the sections that don’t play into this core. These sections can be functional and entertaining by themselves, such as the highly intimate exposé of an under-used contraceptive coil, or the modern comedy cliché of riffing on dating apps – standard stuff that’s done perfectly fine – but they have the show puttering along without rising to where it can be in its best moments.
These best moments are wonderful, and will literally have you falling out of your seat (if only to dodge what’s coming at you). It’s their unexpected nature, combined with the genuine musical talents of both Hennessy and Rafferty, that makes them land so well.
It’s a lack of focus that therefore lets things down ever so slightly, and the show is somewhat aware of this. At more than a few points during the show, Hennessy flits from topic to topic almost faster than you can keep track of, seemingly losing the run of herself (performatively or sincerely, it’s never clear). Refining what’s here, in order to focus on the show’s main themes, and maybe wrestling the reins from those more scattered parts of the piece, could easily make this a knockout.
Written and Performed by Síomha Hennessy
Produced by Meghan Bartual Smyth
30 Under 30 has completed its current run
