Irish Play : Her Ladyship
REVIEW OF HER LADYSHIP BY JOHN DUNNE – The Irish Club Camden 25-27 February and special showing at 2pm on 16th March for The Pensioners’ Club 2018 – same venue – free show with lunch beforehand – all contributions welcome.
Life on the edge – but not as most of us know it.
Her Ladyship is about Lady Augusta Gregory:- a real historic Protestant lady with English connections (termed Anglo-Irish) who rules the roost, and so in a poor rural part of Ireland, a nameless lonely old lady ruminates on all things Irish and how Her Ladyship affects hers and others’ lives with where she lives, works and other important life issues. Actor Penelope Dudley effortlessly delivers a 40 minute monologue in guise of this charming member of the “peasant” community who reflects, “It would seem Ireland’s greatest export is young people”, “Freedom to starve under a green flag rather than a union one”, “Poets, writers, painters – we get them all here”, “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams” (last quote attributable to Yeats). Sound effects of the lonely cottage on Lady Gregory’s estate appearing to be on the edge of the moors whilst she enjoys a cuppa, include whistling wind and help create an effect of moodiness, vulnerability and whimsical longing. Maybe a little Irish music to introduce the play would be nice…
“Robert” is mentioned and his handsome uniform and striking blonde hair who died under an Italian. Then back to the “big House” – “peace of a sort had to reign at the big house. Well what other sort of peace is there?”.
Lady Gregory apparently suffered unrequited love for the poet Yeats and was brought up in a rich household mainly by the family chef, much ignored by her parents. She started The Abbey Theatre and was behind Yeats and Sean O’Casey – she wrote plays and generally involved herself in the creative fraternity in Ireland.
Irish born writer John Dunne’s compulsive and sometimes biographically related work covers several plays and he investigates Bram Stoker – writer of Dracula in one of them. Some of these works can be found on the website www.Irish-theatre.com. John gets involved in directing also and has studied in the North of England during his career, mainly concentrating on all things bookish and literature related.
Actor Penelope Dudley, who trained in Theatre Arts at Coventry Centre of Performing Arts, (pictured in character in Her Ladyship) has appeared in a Palladium production in the past and has performed in “Her Ladyship” as part of the “Ireland In Song and Story Year”. She produced her own show at The Camden Fringe and recently played a journalist in Noel Coward’s “Waiting in the Wings” . She has been part of The British Heart Foundation film (Their Story/My Story) which has circulated round NHS hospitals up and down the country . Penelope has also previously produced her own monologues and cabaret style show 4 + 1 for Camden Fringe at Rada Studios.
See if you can catch one of John Dunne’s plays and look out for Penelope’s performances. Watch this space! Enjoy!
P C Price