Blackbird

Blackbird. - An interesting tale that dances the line between love and abuse of a minor, which had us talking about topics and plot upon leaving the theatre. Unfortunately, none of us could say that we really enjoyed the play. It was flawed in many aspects, Stephen Brennan had the near impossible talk of making a paedophile seem likable and making it seem like it was more than abuse. He did not achieve either of those things, and didn't give the viewer any discernable reason for why the young girl was captivated by him.
Similar to Fausten (the Dogma movie and play that was recently produced in the Gate Theatre), the abuse was carried out a long time in the past, and we are not directly asked to go through any of these experiences. It lacks the impact of Fausten and also the humour.
The world of theatre is throwing up a lot of similar discussions on child abuse, with Fausten (mentioned above) and Doubt in the abbey. It does seem to be a hot topic, but personally feel it generally makes for a difficult night at the theatre.
The play only has two actors, and does not move even remotely from its topic at hand. It tries to keep the viewer on an emotional high, which is near impossible for a play of two hours. It needed some break from the relentless revelations and the story is slowly revealed to the audience.
The play is not without its positives, a stunning set, and the lead female's role was quite powerful. Maybe it was just one to many on a similar theme.
3/5