Sean Power - Reviews & Interviews

Fool For Love
30 Nov 2003 - Sunday Business Post:
"Theatre: Fool For Love" (by Benjamin Moore)

Theatre: Fool For Love

By Sam Shepard
The New Theatre,Temple Bar, Dublin
Until December 13

This intensely energetic emotional drama opens as Eddie (Sean Power) bursts into the room to find his exlover and half-sister, May (Laoisa Sexton), squirming on her bed. An old man (Ronan Wilmot) sits silently at the edge of the stage as the two lovers are reunited with angry passion.

Adding to the tension, May has arrived with her latest beau, Martin,played with a suitably edgy fire by Patrick Joseph Byrne.

He is thrown unwittingly into the maelstrom of her forbidden on/off relationship with Eddie and, with well-placed comic timing, acts as part-listener, parttension breaker.

Sam Shepard has penned a highly charged and acute tryst between Eddie and May. Their taboo love/hate relationship is bizarre, but they cannot hide irrepressible feelings for each other despite the terrible consequences they bring.

Director/actor Wilmot has drawn excellent performances from his three costars but could have paid more attention to his own unrealistic American accent.

Despite an initially shaky start - which was probably owing to first night jitters - the players did find their feet.

The energetic chemistry between Power and Sexton drives the play forward as they share moments of love and hate with a fiery passion.

Sexton oozes a sensual sexuality that both contrasts with and complements Power's macho cowboy role. Their screaming matches and snide comments carry the audience along, leaving us shocked one minute and laughing the next.

This is one piece of theatre that will encourage you to go back for seconds.

Rating: ****
Reviewed by Benjamin Moore