Molly Sweeney has arrived in Bristol and is here to stay until all of the areas residents have come to be taught lessons on how to conduct our lives. The play itself is set around three characters, Molly (Marion O’Dwyer), Frank (Sean Gleeson) and Mr Rice (Harry Towb). Molly’s blindness becomes one Franks new quests, one of his enduring obsessions he has to resolve. Like has past exploits of pure Irish madness, his pledge to cure his new wife’s blindness is to prove destructive and futile in perhaps every aspect. The play itself centres on the selfishness of the two male characters, a lasting trait of the human condition. Franks selfishness is his desire for adventure that leave others reeling in path he has just blazed through. Mr Rice, the ‘eye’ doctor holds his own selfish desire to restore his success as a major league practitioner. Molly is his dream subject to restore his career. As the play develops we see the downfall of molly, Mr Rice and Frank, as the realisation of their selfishness becomes apparent. The script of continuos monologues between the three actors is a dream for those theatregoers who relish in emotional intimacy. The script is extremely strong and works perfectly to create the live of these people, and the stark realisation of these characters is also as a result of finely crafted wording. 

The acting in the performance itself was impeccable. Although the emotion driven script was a good basis for great acting, it was apparent that each of the actors here injected a dose of their own medicine to create a very special performance. The timing of Harry towb proved to show him as a true master of the monologue. His facial expressions worked eloquently to display the charred and fraught character he was depicting. The enthusiasm of the character of Frank again was backed by sheer brilliance in acting. He did very well to make sure the character didn’t remain on the same level of enthusiasm, he made sure the Frank as a character didn’t fall into a display of monotonous half jokes. Many of the central lines of the play were based around “what has she got to lose” or “what has she got to gain”. Molly and her blindness provided some of the most heart touching moments throughout the play, as we learnt the answers to those questions. Marion's control over the character led to one of the most moving displays I have personally seen in the theatre. The simple spot lighting centre on her well, and in the last scene as her monologue drifted into the mental mind she beheld, we watched bewitched as she uttered words that made all the fights for sight in the play futile and wasteful.

I must admit to shedding tears whilst watching this performanc. I was taught a lesson tonight. I’ve learnt always to watch my enthusiasm or obsessions, and check if they are at the detriment of others. The acting and the brilliance of the script are what have allowed me to come away from the theatre on an autumn night and think long and hard about the sadness, beauty, eloquence and futileness that the play exuded. There are not words strong enough to urge you to see Molly and share the desires of herself and her counterparts in this well crafted and acted performance.

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Ticket Prices:

£10 (£7 for concessions)

 Performance Times:

Monday to Wednesday at 7:30PM

Thursday to Saturday at 8:00PM

Thursday and Saturday Matinee at 2:30PM

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