When one has been to the theatre as many times as I have it’s becoming quite difficult not to have some sort of expectations from certain shows, actors and theatre companies. And let me just say that Amy Conroy had a very special place in my heart.
When I found out that HotForTheatre will be presenting its new show for Dublin Theatre Festival this year, I was beyond excited. Having seen I ❤ Alice ❤ I earlier this year (which, honestly, was one of the life-changing plays for me), I was determined not to miss any plays written by the amazing Amy Conroy.
HotForTheatre and Galway International Arts festival presents Luck Just Kissed you Hello, an original play written by Amy Conroy and directed by Caitriona McLaughlin.
The never-stopping beeping background noise immediately sets the scene. We are in a hospital waiting room. Three men, or two men (played by Mark Fitzgerald and Will O’Connell) and one in transition (played by Amy Conroy), are waiting for their Big Ted to die. Mark (or, shall I say Laura?) can stop the torture and the waiting. He is the next of kin. One signature and the life support machine will stop making the irritating sound. Mark doesn’t hesitate but yet doesn’t sign. It’s not that he doesn’t want to sign the paper to prolong the life of his already brain-dead father. No, the reason is way more complicated. Signing the paper for Mark means putting his christian name on it: Laura. The name that was given to the body that he has hated ever since he could remember himself. “The skin just didn’t fit”, Mark kept repeating. And the father wasn’t exactly helping about it, either.
A mixture of hospital waiting room scenes and flash-backs of memories when Laura/Mark was still a child bring us on a journey of a life of a boy who was born as a girl.
Just like the previous works of HotFotTheatre, Luck Just Kissed you Hello beautifully combines current affairs with light humour and thought provoking real-life situations. The smart writing and skillful storytelling allows the audience to feel for the characters on stage.
Amy Conroy herself is simply brilliant. I will never stop envying (in a good sense) her incredible ability to be so natural on stage. She isn’t the first woman who plays a man, of course. But the way she does it is so unbelievably believable that you never question it twice. And, by no means, it’s in the appearance but rather in the subtle shifts of movement and voice.
I <3ed this play so much that long after I left the theatre the characters still stayed with me. Plays like Luck Just Kissed you Hello are crucial to see for all members of the modern society. Being over stuffed with taboos and traumas and topics that never should be mentioned, Luck Just Kissed You Hello can challenge the audience in a very big way. Unfortunately, not yet everyone is comfortable or acceptive of people changing genders, even in the twenty-first century. But even sadder is the fact, that such an issue isn’t even getting enough acknowledgment or recognition.
So, all the more reasons to go and see Luck Just Kissed You Hello, which runs in the Project Arts center until October, 4th. For more info or to buy tickets, please, visit: http://projectartscentre.ie/event/luck-just-kissed-hello/
Unforgettable Lines 