Would you like to go on an adventure? Would you like to discover why The Longstone is called The Longstone and what that monument in Hawkins Street commemorates? Would you like to transcend the laws of time and space and meet Vikings, lepers and unicorns in the urine-scented laneways of Pearse Street? Then you’re in luck, because The Great Brunswick is a show that meets all of your (unusually specific) desires.
Starting outside the Berkeley Library, we meet Sorcha (Sorcha Brennan), a frazzled inmate of the 24-hour who has worked herself to the point of losing her mind. As she vents her frustration to the audience she is accosted, Alice in Wonderland-style, by a mysterious figure who wants to bring her on an adventure through Dublin – the “Great Brunswick” (Ronan Carey), a reference to the previous name of Pearse Street. As we travel out of campus and explore the nooks and crannies between Pearse Street and the quays, Sorcha and Brunswick lose control of the “adventure” and need to enlist the help of various characters from Dublin’s past to get home. Along the way we protest outside the Department of Health, yell at the journalists in the Irish Times, and aggravate people trying to use the ATM by Tara Street Station.
This self-described “promenade piece” has been devised by the entire cast, led by directors Sam Ford and Amelia McConville. It’s clear from the beginning that it’s a performance made with sincerity and affection for its subject. The strength of the piece lies in its focus not on the city as a whole, but a contained area that encompasses links to wide-reaching cultural and historical institutions: the church, Vikings, the media, the Rising and War of Independence. The different characters, while comical, often have something very serious to say: Countess Markievicz is disgusted by the bubble of privilege surrounding our print press, and JFK is very much in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment. We’re reminded of the church-enforced ostracisation of lepers in the Middle Ages and government-enforced discrimination against gay men. A moment is taken to mourn the loss of the Screen Cinema and the many theatres lost to the ages in Dublin.
On the whole, however, The Great Brunswick is a whimsical little adventure through the deceptively drab streets. Credit must be given to the cast, who have no qualms lingering around street corners in leopard onesies or unicorn costumes until we arrive and often interact with bewildered members of the public as we roll along. They also ensure that the audience does not obstruct paths or disrupt traffic – as the Great Brunswick tells us as we wait at the traffic lights, “safety is very important on an adventure”.
A lovely camaraderie develops between cast and audience as we rush through the city, unconscious of the curious glances from passing cars and pedestrians. As well as that, an intimacy with the city itself has been cultivated which stays with you well after the show. By the end of the journey you will genuinely feel like you have been taken on an adventure, and better off for it.
The last peformance of The Great Brunswick as part of DU Players’s Celtic Twilight festival takes place this evening at 7pm. The performance is free, starting outside Players Theatre.
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