Irish Times writers give their verdict

Songs In Her Suitcase Project Cube, Dublin

Gerry Colgan

As you enter the theatre you see Marcus Costello's set, a large, hexagonal frame with cloth-covered panels, on which a poem is projected: "In this world of War and Greed Where right is wrong And might is always right I sing my sweet and sour songs of life." It is like a defiant clarion call by the play's subject, the late and certainly great Agnes Bernelle.

Even a potted version, which this show to some extent unavoidably is, encapsulates a remarkable life. Bernelle was born in Berlin, to a father who was a well-known composer of operetta. She escaped to England during the Hitler war, met and married in to Anglo-Irish aristocracy, went on to a career in music and theatre and ended up in Dublin to grace the artistic scene, notably with her inimitable singing. She was one of a kind.

There is a sense that the producers, Puca Puppets, hoped to achieve more than they do. The blurb, and one's reception of the play, suggest they intended to re-create her spirit onstage.

But it soon becomes clear that this cannot be accomplished through even inspired puppetry and recordings. Those who saw a Bernelle performance will remember her luminous presence, wedded to a sultry voice in irresistible combination. Such magnetism is not easily - perhaps cannot be - reproduced.

This is essentially a tribute show, using the magic of puppetry, a selective script and recorded songs by the great chanteuse to offer us an insight in to a special artiste. Those of us who saw her perform may easily add the nostalgia of vivid memory to the linking narrative and musical excerpts shown here, to relive some golden moments of theatre. For others there is certainly enough of special interest to reward attendance.

Niamh Lawlor, directed by Leticia Agudo, performs as Bernelle in various life-size puppet guises and speaks the narrative, both with manifest skill. Her likeable portrayals and mimes constitute a worthwhile tribute in which it is easy to share.

Runs here to June 12th, then tours