For any playwright, to have a new piece of work staged every three or four years would be seen as a major achievement. In the current climate, revivals of tried and tested classics appear to take precedence over new plays; the latter proving to be a bit of a gamble when it comes to filling seats. Marina Carr is the exception.
Since Covid, she has produced three new plays: iGirl, Girl on an Altar and Audrey or Sorrow. The Map of Argentina is her fourth, which is remarkable when you consider all that goes into creating a full-scale production. The Abbey Theatre’s senior associate writer is not only prolific, but would also be regarded as one of the country’s greatest living playwrights, and a trail blazer for the large percentage of emerging Irish playwrights who are women.
I went into The Map of Argentina knowing very little about it, which is often the best way. The play centres on a marriage on the rocks; the couple played by the wonderful Maeve Fitzgerald and Mark Huberman. If The Irish Times Theatre Awards ever return, Huberman’s performance here is surely deserving of a nomination. He is absolutely captivating, displaying a tenderness that will break your heart. Fitzgerald’s Deb is having an affair with Darby, a seedy lothario, played convincingly by Fionn Ó Loingsigh, much to the dismay of Huberman’s Sam. Add five children into the mix and things really start to get messy.
For those with any doubts about having children, this play may be the final nail in the coffin. It doesn’t do much for romance either, painting a bleak image of married life in your forties, feeling like something out of a François Truffaut film. Yet, there is an awful lot of fun to be had here, and the sharp, snappy dialogue is quite unique.
I couldn’t wait to come back from the interval, but sadly, that’s when things started to derail a little bit. The final family scene becomes overly hysterical, and the ending is anticlimactic, although perhaps that is the point? Chaos looms large in this play and makes us really empathise with Deb and the position she finds herself in. Although it feels like a play about women, Carr does a great job not to completely steam-roll men in the process, which is rather refreshing. Every character is layered and believable, with the exception of maybe the waitress, who doesn’t have all that much to do.
We must not forget Briíd Ní Neachtain as the Grandmother. The scenes she shares with Michael Cruz’s Argentinian heart surgeon had me absolutely crippled with laughter, even though at times I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be laughing or not. Her performance here is a gentle reminder of why she recently won the IFTA for Best Leading Actress.
Other critics will be harsher on this play, but for me, it was a welcome reminder of why we go to the theatre in the first place: to enjoy ourselves. And there is certainly plenty of joy to be had at The Map of Argentina. By the time this review is printed, only four performances of the play will remain. If tickets are still available, it is certainly a play worth seeing.
The Map of Argentina runs at An Taibhdhearc until July 27. Tickets €23/28.
