Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Donahue Sisters

The attic of the family home in Ireland, once a playroom, is the setting for this sinister play from the author of Bar and Ger. Awaiting the death of their father, sisters talk about their unhappy lives long into the night. The time comes for a ritual re enactment of a violent incident from their childhood. Departing from the hitherto naturalistic style, Aron imaginatively has the sisters speak and act in unison to create the persona of a young boy. When the ritual is complete, things return to normal and the women seem to have found answers to their problems. Remaining is the uneasy prospect of the past repeating itself.

Bar and Ger: A drama in one act

This is the tender, simple story of the relationship between a sister (the author) and her younger brother, described in realistic and down to earth language. Episodic flashes of dialogue through the years are linked by the sister's narrative.