J P Donleavy's once-controversial play, The Ginger Man, distilled from his picaresque novel of the same name, is back after a long absence and it is worth its return journey. The central character, that great and tragic eccentric of fiction, Sebastian Dangerfield, is a fascinating creation, here brought to seething and bewildering life.
As we meet him on stage, he has pawned everything and everybody. His life is one of drink, women and general chaos, and his utterly disillusioned wife is about to leave him. He has exploited her to the last piece of money and drop of affection. There is an ugly reality to their fights, with nerves and voices screaming. Sebastian's addiction to drink unhinges him and terrorises her.
There is real tragedy here, of a cultured man with great personal charm which he uses to scrounge and deceive in pursuit of a sordid survival. He is a lost soul who, despite his natural gifts, sinks to the bottom. David Murray finds the complexities, for good and bad, in a gripping portrayal.
There are only three other characters, all played with convincing excellence. Julie Hale is the wife. Karl Hayden is the lust-possessed O'Keefe, frustrated by some woman-repellent in his character. And Mary McEvoy is Ms Frost, the lodger defeated by her religion and society, driven to neurosis.
Ronan Wilmot directs this fine revival of an absorbing, funny, sad play for the Dublin Theatre Company.
Runs until the end of August. To book phone 01-6703361