Breda’s Way review: Solo show is ambitious if uneven, but buoyed by performer and pace

Breda’s Way

New Theatre

***

Billed as a comedic pilgrimage around Ireland, Breda Larkin’s solo show is more the theatrical equivalent of a dotty guided tour, given through speech, sketch, song and video.

The premise of the piece is suitably offbeat. Taking a break from her life in the city by going to Ballinspittle to see the famed moving statue of the Virgin Mary, displaced Breda grows frustrated with the passive image of Our Lady and takes the figurine off around the country.

Larkin covers a lot of ground, both in terms of distance and themes, as she reflects on gender, sexuality, economics and the environment. The style varies greatly too, from strummy ditties to gently impassioned polemics and enjoyably daft puns. With so much going on, there are uneven moments and a few too many fluffed lines for director Fernando Tunon Hernandez to be entirely happy with.

Larkin’s likable performance and the fast-moving pace keeps the show on the road long enough for her to discover her sense of identity. Like her fictional journey, Larkin’s show, but may not have any clear direction but is full of diverting novelties.

Until 18 September