Review: Depression Haunts an Irish Farm in FOUR LAST THINGS, at Corrib Theatre

Jane is a city girl at heart. She likes the people and the concrete and the noise and the busyness. Unfortunately, her family lives on a farm in the Irish countryside. Until last week, Jane was at college in Dublin, coming home only on weekends. But now she's been home for a week following a stay (not the first) in a mental hospital for depression. She's lonely, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. As Lisa Tierney-Keogh's FOUR LAST THINGS unfolds, we learn the devastating consequences of such desolation.

FOUR LAST THINGS is a difficult play. Not only is it about a difficult subject matter, but Tierney-Keogh has not made life easy for her actors. The characters never interact. Instead, the script is three interwoven monologues. Jane (played by Alexandria Casteele) talks about her sadness, isolation, and her longing to return to the city; her father, Brendan (Ted Rooney), about his inability to understand his daughter's sadness or to talk with her about it; and Bob, the family dog (Jacklyn Maddux), about how Jane's unexpected return from college has disturbed the family's routine and the farm's smells. The three speak in turns, narrating their own perspectives on the situation, as the play plods toward its tragic end.

Rooney is the standout in Corrib Theatre's production, directed by Gemma Whelan. Though his character is incapable of emotional expression, his performance is masterful, and he brings all of the emotional intensity to the production. Casteele struggles to move Jane's emotional state beyond the sadness of being home when she'd rather be in the city to a hopelessness that justifies her final act, and Maddux seems unsure of what to do with the dog. This isn't either of their fault -- the script doesn't give them much help. Like I said, difficult play.

FOUR LAST THINGS doesn't seek to explain depression or even to examine it very closely. Instead, it simply puts depression, and its consequences, out there as a reality of life. It's very effective at portraying loneliness and isolation, but, other than Rooney's excellent performance, it doesn't make for particularly lively theatre.

FOUR LAST THINGS runs through February 24. More details and tickets here.

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