120 years after it was first written, Lady Gregory’s play Grania runs for the first time in the Abbey Theatre. With Lady Gregory herself having founded The Abbey alongside WB Yeats, this debut performance carries a certain degree of weight. Director Caitríona McLaughlin does not shy away from the challenge, uncompromisingly depicting a tale of lust and love fought for, won and lost.
“It is her that your eyes are drawn to as you watch the three characters toy with the opposing forces of their desires, responsibilities, and moral codes”
The set design by Colin Richmond and lighting by Sinéad Wallace is outstanding, creating an enchanting glimpse of an old Ireland. River reeds encircle our protagonists Gráinne (Ella Lily Hyland), Finn (Lorcan Cranitch) and Diarmuid (Niall Wright) throughout. Hyland, (a graduate of the Lir), is dazzling in her depiction of Gráinne. It is her that your eyes are drawn to as you watch the three characters toy with the opposing forces of their desires, responsibilities, and moral codes. Gráinne’s father, the king, has determined that she will marry the older Finn, yet she finds herself enraptured by Finn’s son, Diarmuid. What ensues is a seven year chase through Irish country as Gráinne and Diarmuid try to outrun Diarmuid’s father.
A haunting atmosphere is enhanced by the voices of two wanderers (Laura Sheeran and Sean Boylan), who sing the words of A Woman’s Sonnet, Last Gregory’s address to her own lover. Dressed in modern clothing which jars somewhat with the costumes of the three protagonists, the singers are also placed so as to signify the displaced in modern Ireland. However, at times their singing is difficult to understand, and the use of modern props such as a tent and a boxed sandwich disturbed the magical atmosphere curated by Richmond’s set. This nod to the political climate, though noble in its aims, falls somewhat short of its mark owing to the vagueness of the character’s presence in the play. This lack of conviction means that it would be easy to miss what it is that these wanderers are supposed to represent. Their presence is instead a somewhat clunky addition to what is otherwise a holistically well-rounded play.
“She is fierce and commands attention, but at times it felt difficult to understand her”
The most striking scene by far comes in the second act, when we witness the intimacy of Gráinne and Diarmuid’s daily lives on the run as they bathe, completely nude, in a pool amidst the rushes. Gráinne’s character is perhaps best captured in this exchange. She longs to be touched and held by Diarmuid and cavorts her body so as to command his attention. She is aware of the limitations of his desire for her, however, for his wanting was only awakened when he grew jealous of the attention showered upon her by another man. And yet she also yearns for more than the life she has, as evidenced by her entreaties to Diarmuid to bring them back towards society so that she might not live out her youthful days in isolation with only wild animals to gaze upon her. Whilst Hylands depiction of Gráinne holds up in this scene, there are other moments when it feels that the nuance required to capture Gráinne’s particular position is lacking. Whilst Gráinne is stubborn and steadfast and commanded by her own will, she lacks the agency to define herself in any way separately to the men in her life. She is fierce and commands attention, but at times it felt difficult to understand her.
Nevertheless, it was certainly brave to showcase Gregory’s 1912 play on the Abbey stage especially as she refused to allow this play to be staged in her lifetime. With little to model the production off of, McLaughlin has done a good job at reviving this story. A modern audience will of course be challenged by the cadences of Gregrorys’s script, given that it mirrors a mythological tale. Lady Gregory faced the challenge of re-telling Irish mythology to a 20th century audience. So, to successfully communicate this story to a 21st century audience, and even make us laugh at times, is not only a commendable decision, but ultimately a victory.
Grania will run at The Abbey Theatre until October 26 as part of Dublin Theatre Festival
