Review: Consumed, Park Theatre

“That wasn’t an Irish play, that was a Protestant play.” 

This was the comment with an Irish accent overheard on the way out of the Park Theatre. There are a few things to take issue with here, starting with the pedantic one: this is a Northern Irish play. Consumed examines family and the legacy and trauma of a past that is never entirely gone even as Northern Ireland enjoys peace today. And comments like that one underscore how deeply entwined cultural and religious identity remains when it comes to Northern Ireland. 

For her 90th birthday, proud Protestant and Northern Irish woman Eileen (Julia Dearden) hosts three generations of her family for a birthday lunch; daughter Gilly (Andrea Irvine), granddaughter Jenny (Caoimhe Farren) and great-granddaughter Muireann (Muireann Ní Fhaogáin). Northern Ireland is part of her identity: her husband was a loyal member of the Orange Order and she refuses to call her great granddaughter by her Irish name Muireann, instead calling her Marie. 

The evening unfolds entirely in Eileen’s kitchen in Bangor, and Lily Arnold’s set design shows us a much lived-in space. Dinner in the oven, full cupboards and clutter – everyday detail makes it instantly recognisable. A dining table becomes the centre as they sit and bicker and argue and rage against each other, almost a small stage within a stage. It feels real and familiar. 

There is a simmering bitterness and a quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) toxicity between the women, resentment over the way they were raised and how this has shaped them – and their problems to this day. This is well played on stage: the four women are convincingly distinct, each with their own mind and perspective but undeniably connected by blood. They may chafe against these connections, but the ties remain complicated and inescapable. 

Their banter is very funny, writer Karis Kelly’s dialogue sharp and natural, with occasional extra jokes for an audience familiar with Northern Ireland; little cultural references for anyone in the know. There were a couple of times you could clearly tell who in the audience was from the island of Ireland. The script nicely sets up maybe not warmth but a familiar family setting where tensions and unspoken history can be easily seen. A lot of issues are covered – eating disorders, capitalism, veganism, fidelity and more – but it’s not a scattershot approach, despite the relatively short running time. Kelly’s script doesn’t just cram these in and give them short shrift, they come out naturally and fit well with her characters. 

What Consumed does really well is show that trauma isn’t always spoken about but can be inherited; the legacy of growing up with the Troubles shaping behaviour, relationships and even identity in a way that the family struggles to express. As we move towards the climax, it starts to feel a bit forced. Sudden revelations feel out of place and a very stylised final sequence feels ungrounded and out of sync with the rest of the play. I admire the intent, but I don’t think it really pays off.  

Thinking back to my fellow theatregoer’s comment, it demonstrates an instinct to divide and to label – exactly the kind of thinking that Consumed quietly interrogates. The play shows how identities are lived, embedded in families and carried across generations. The trauma here isn’t just in the Troubles but what lingers in attitudes today, heard on stage and in the real world. Comments like this reveal how those divisions are still present and while all the ideas may not land in this show, the questions presented remain potent. 

Written by Karis Kelly
Directed by Katie Posner
Set and Costume Design by Lily Arnold
Sound Design and Composed by Beth Duke
Lighting Design by Guy Hoare

Consumed plays at Park Theatre until Saturday 18 April.