Review: Our Lady of Tobermore
By Dáracha McGlynn
On October 5th and 6th, Queen’s University Players returned with Luke Fields’ Our Lady of Tobermore as their first play of the academic year. The piece centres on Noel, a young deacon who is sent to Tobermore by Bishop Kavanagh. Noel’s mission is to investigate Marty, a young boy who is claiming to have witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary. The play offers an interesting perspective on Catholicism, truth and how external pressure can have major impacts on our lives. Fields directed the piece with Assistant Director David Warke.
The set decoration caught my eye as soon as I entered the Brian Friel Theatre. Pieces of religious and cultural significance were dotted around the stage, such as a photograph of Pope John Paul II and an Irish ‘‘Fáilte’’ sign to set the scene in the parochial house. In addition, a large wooden cross hung in the centre. While it was well conceptualised for the most part, there were several pieces of cardboard and books on the floor as well as a knocked over chair which I felt made the set look slightly too disorganised and cluttered while not serving a particular purpose.
The first act introduces us to Deacon Noel (Roseanne McCartan), who is clearly less than pleased at being sent to rural Tobermore to investigate the ordeal. Noel is timid, and it’s clear to the audience very quickly that he is completely out of his depth in regard to the investigation. McCartan certainly brought humour to the role, although Noel’s motivations for his actions were not always clear throughout the piece, making it difficult to empathise with his character at times.
We also meet the comical Father Eugene (Elle Campbell), a cunning man who clearly wished for his later years to be peaceful and drama-free; although there is a sense that he believes Marty’s account, he does not want to admit it because of the effect it would have for his parish to become, as he puts it, “the new Knock shrine.”
Teenager Marty (Serena Browne) appears alongside his slightly uptight mother Róisin (KatieAnn McGorman). Marty’s alleged version of events quickly spirals into something he cannot control, unaware of how significantly the alleged apparition could alter his life. McGorman’s Róisin is the stereotypical Irish mother and her steadfastness in believing her son is almost admirable granted that it seemed Marty himself wasn’t aware of the story he was supposed to be telling at times.
Act Two saw the entrance of Bishop Stone (Molly-Rose McMakin), an honest and straightforward character who somehow comes across switched on yet clueless simultaneously. The Bishop’s quick quips helped add moments of comedic relief throughout the piece while Noel began to crack as the scenes went on.
The second act also helped us look deeper into Noel and Marty to attempt to understand their earlier actions in the play. We discovered the different pressures that each character was under, highlighting how societal expectations can take over our lives. Later scenes between the pair were touching and helped bring the piece to a fitting conclusion.
The play ultimately resolves the conflicts that arise throughout, allowing the piece to finish on a positive note. Overall, Our Lady of Tobermore was thought-provoking and encouraged audiences to consider how the opinions of others can influence the choices we make. Fields offers a fresh perspective on Catholicism and the Church, exploring these themes through a lens unlike anything I had seen before while ensuring the piece was still palatable for audiences.
