Little Red Kettle stuns in first inter-generational play in 25 years

Everyone I’ve talked to about ‘A Place Like Home’ has said it’s made them cry. Written by Deirdre Dwyer and directed by Joe Meagher, it is a sensitive portrayal of chosen family and the slippery nature of time. 

In 2000, Deirdre Dwyer acted in 'All in the Head', the last inter-generational play Little Red Kettle would put on for 25 years. 

Joe Meagher (who played Stan) and Shauna Farrell (who played Claire) were also part of ‘All in the Head’. 

It is fitting then that her new play opens with, “I am Time. A sequence of events. I am defined and also hard to fix.” 

The story begins with a ragtag group of cheeky kids being corralled onto a bus to Waterford by a world-weary single dad (Andrew Holden). They are returning to their mother’s childhood home for the first time without their mother.

Each character in the play is given room in the script to express their fears and dreams but it is the actors (young and seasoned alike) who expertly balance humour with poignancy. It is hard to believe what’s happening on stage is theatre; at times it feels like I’m peeking at someone’s old home movies, complete with all of the petty fights and unconditional love that are the markers of a family and a home.

Sophie (Alejandra Novoa Heritage) and Olive (Ciara Aldeweireldt) are at each other's throats. Danny (Leon Kavanagh) just wants to be with his mates in Dublin. Charlie (Fionn Cárthach Ó Catháin) is obsessed with taking things apart. My only note is that whilst Micheal Walsh is a great actor and played the character of Alex brilliantly, I wish his character was given more depth.

The contrast of teenagehood is expertly portrayed through the nostalgic 90s friendship between Young Claire (Polly Devlin) and Anna (Emily Doherty) and the tense relationship that Danny (Leon Kavanagh) has with his dad (Andrew Holden). 

Parallel stories appear throughout the play, further emphasising its inter-generationality. Times may change but families and friends don't.

‘Cosy’ might seem like a glib term to use for the stage design (done by Deirdre Dwyer). But I don’t mean small or predictable. I mean rich with small details, exceptionally considered and, yes, playful. This is a play made with children in mind and the way the set opened from the front reminded me of my favourite doll’s house as a child.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience by the time the play finished, myself included. We all walked away from the show a little more tender, a little kinder.