During mid January NIDA’s Parade Theatre has been home to the Gate theatre, Dublin’s two week long celebration of the work of premiere Irish playwright, Brian Friel.

The season featured three of Friel’s finest plays, ‘Faith Healer’, ‘Afterplay’ and ‘The Yalta Game’.

The standard of these Gate theatre productions was high.

My season favourite was ‘Afterplay’. This was a beautifully performed chamber piece of a poignant scenario.

In the appropriately titled ‘Afterplay’, Friel brings together two characters from two separate plays from the great Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov. They are Sonya, Uncle Vanya’s devoted niece, and Andrey, the henpecked brother of the three sisters. Sonya and Andrey meet in a rundown café in Moscow.

Their encounter shows two lonely, unhappy people connecting, and there seems to be some hope for them, and then the opportunity is lost. ‘Afterplay’ has a typically Chekhov scenario where his characters aren’t tough and resilient enough to tackle their demons or to achieve their dreams!

The two actors from the Gate Theatre, Dublin produce hypnotic performances. Niall Buggy’s performance was deeply etched, depicting a broken, middle-aged man, trying to make the most of his life that hasn’t worked out the way he wanted it to.

Francesca Annis’s portrayal of Sonya was also moving. Francesca portrayed Sonya as a woman tragically unable to move forward with her life, still living in the past with her unreturned love for Dr Astrov.

Robin LeFevre directed Friel’s chamber piece to perfection. Liz Asroft created a stylish set design of the Moscow café that included a beautiful ornate over-hanging chandelier.

The Gate Theatre’s production of ‘Afterplay’ plays the Parade theatre, NIDA, until the 1st February, 2009.