Young Londoner Lily (Rosa Torr) waits to for her name to be called at a NHS clinic. She hasn’t taken this decision lightly but she needs to do what is right for her. It wasn’t part of her plan, although she’s not quite sure what her plan actually is. Now that college is finished she has found herself back at home with her parents and unsure of where life will take her. As she continues to wait at the clinic she thinks back on the events that have led up to her being where she is today.
Torr’s comedic expression and timing in this one woman show is spot on as she effortlessly flips the situation from fun to serious and back again. Passing through an array of characters that have peppered her life, from her mother to her childhood best friend, she offers humour and heart in equal measure. It would be easy to overlook Torr’s portrayal of a young women in difficult circumstances due to the overall hilarity of her performance but it is in these serious moments that her deft ability is truly on display.
The functional set (Cathal Sheerin) serves its purpose and is primarily used as a clinic waiting room. There is no need for anything beyond this but the set’s stark simplicity is complemented by excellent lighting (Shane Gill) and sound design (Rachel Heavey). All three elements have a synergistic effect which deliver more than the sum of their parts, resulting in impressive production values. From nightclub pandemonium to the unflinching brightness of the waiting room a lot is achieved through hard work and talent rather than onstage excess.
Directed by Rosa Bowden, Torr makes full use of the surrounding space as Lily relays stories and events from her childhood right up to the present moment. All of these accounts are linked by the invisible threads in life that make us who we are and bring us to places we never expected to be. Torr gleeful hops and in and out of the various characters resulting in much humour but the truth of this piece is never far away. Lily has the right to make a choice about her unplanned pregnancy that is not afforded to her peers only a few hundred kilometres away. Although her decision is difficult, at least it is hers to make.
Running at just under an hour, Bump is perfectly crafted and offers the right amount of everything it promises to. It tells a deceptively powerful story and stands tall in doing so.
Bump runs nightly at 8pm in Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, until 10th March.
Tickets here.
Writers: Rosa Bowden, Rosa Torr, and Cathal Sheerin
Director: Rosa Bowden
Producer: Kelley Gissane
Sound Design: Rachel Heavey
Lighting Design: Shane Gill
Set Design: Cathal Sheerin
Suitable for ages 16+
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David Keane 