Axis, Ballymun ***

On the same night – separated by a handful of miles – that Sean O’Casey’s

Juno and the Paycock

plays on the Abbey stage,

Itsoseng

opens in Ballymun’s Axis centre. Each work deals with bygone political eras, the oppression of poverty and desire for a better life. The themes of both seem prophetically apt when transposed on to contemporary Ireland.

The titular Itsosengis a South African township where a young man, Mawilla, attempts to eke out a life. Post-apartheid, he believes the promise of political and economic change from rhetorical politicians who give rousing speeches they never deliver on. The town's lifeblood employer, a shopping centre, has been burnt and looted, in a pyrrhic act of defiance by locals.

Intertwined with the broader political story is the personal tale of Mawilla and Dolly, a girl he grew up with and loves. Crushed by poverty, Dolly resorts to prostitution, a fate that alienates her from the man who wants to marry her. Omphile Molusi plays Mawilla, but morphs from braggadocio politician to TV reporter to prostitute with fluid ease.

Molusi covers every inch of the stage, covered only with litter and a metal storage trunk, recreating political marches and the devastation of the township. There is a kinetic brilliance to a performance that whirrs between the menace of hopelessness and touching sensitivity. The story itself takes time to settle into it, as does the frequent use of patois and language. Mawilla soberly makes connections between love, penury and commerce: “If you can’t afford it, you can’t find love” and “you can’t eat politics”. Throughout, each situation (and character shift) is signalled by timely lighting changes by Richard Jordan. Central to this sparse production is a powerhouse turn by Molusi, who is the main reason to see this thought-provoking work.

Ends Saturday