Amsterdam
Glass Mask Theatre, Dublin 2
★★★★☆
Amsterdam is a will-they-won’t-they comedy drama written and performed by the actor and playwright David Rawle. You might know him from his lead role in Moone Boy, Chris O’Dowd’s semibiographical comedy series. This year Rawle appeared as Sonny Proctor in Small Town, Big Story, another collaboration with O’Dowd, featuring Paddy Considine and Christina Hendricks.
This production is about two twentysomethings, referred to only as Himself and Herself, who meet in Amsterdam for a short trip. Himself has been travelling across Europe for months, endlessly deferring the date of his return, panicky at the thought of the routine that awaits him at home. Herself, recently emerged from a difficult relationship, hopes simply to enjoy time with an old friend she has quietly missed.
Reuniting after a long absence, and freed from the usual family and social constraints, they begin to experience irrepressible romantic feelings about one another, as a once-dormant tension in their relationship springs to life. Each is worried about the impact that giving voice to those feelings might have.
The plot, which surges through several nights, is propelled by the chemistry and dexterity of the performers. Rawle is great at delivering one-liners with a lively anxiety. His fellow Lir Academy graduate Alison Kinlan, as Herself, proves a more than capable counterpart, bringing warmth, vulnerability and an infectious laugh to her performance – along with a beautiful singing voice.
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Their exchanges are effortlessly natural, the playful riffs in which they try to make each other laugh ringing true. Even the more serious moments, which they sometimes deliver with the pomposity of young adults still shadowed by adolescence, capture the tone of that stage of life.
This highly entertaining, surprisingly soulful play, which has a thoughtful, mature finale that pulls no punches, is heartily recommended.
Runs at Glass Mask Theatre, as part of Dublin Fringe Festival, until Thursday, September 18th
