Saint Nicholas is an artful monologue about a disenchanted theatre critic who finds redemption in the world of the supernatural.

The nameless critic (Peter Dineen) enjoys an enviable life as a well-known critic in Dublin. He loves the feeling of power he gets by making or breaking a show using just his expert opinion, but he envies the very people he has power over for their creative skills. All he really wants to do is write from his own imagination but the stories will not come. This frustration has led to the critic turning into a fat sot, alienated from his wife and two children, and completely miserable.

He meets, and becomes obsessed with, a young actress appearing in a production of Oscar Wilde's Salome. The actress, Helen, shows him a small amount of compassion which is enough to convince the critic to follow her to London where the production is transferring to the West End. His arrival is a disaster but, terrified of returning to Dublin, he gets drunk and falls asleep in a park. On waking, he meets a vampire named William who befriends the critic and invites him back to his house - which he shares with five stunning but deadly female vampires.

The critic ends up staying with the vampires and learns that they are not just creatures of legend but animals who have always co-existed with humans on the edge of society. They only feed when they need to, never kill their victims, while much of what has been written about them is twisted fantasy. They only dislike garlic, for example, because it gives tham bad breath. The critic, seemingly hypnotised by William, starts attracting young people back to the house for late-night feeding-frenzies. The next day the victims leave unharmed, with no memory of the night before, but the critic is still uneasy about the service he is performing for the blood-suckers.

When the critic ends up inviting his beloved Helen back to the house, he sees the vampires for what they really are and leaves - finally with a story worth writing. There's a satisfying ending left open to interpretation, with no indication of whether the vampires only exist in the critic's imagination.

Peter Dinnen plays the critic as a lecherous drunk, with not a word out of place in the speedily-paced 80 minutes. There are no gimmicks - no costume changes, music, masks or set - just a man on a stage telling a story with every nuance finely-honed and perfectly judged.

The plot initially seems far-fetched, and the comparisons between journalists and vampires a bit hackneyed, but Peter Dinnen's performance is so more-ish that all concerns are quickly quelled.

Playwright Conor McPherson's writing is sparky and humorous throughout, and the change of pace and subject half-way through - when the plot shifts from drunk theatre critic to pack of vampires - works far better than maybe it should. The script cleverly makes the critic a sympathetic character despite all his glaring flaws - and it's ingenious in its description of the vampires.

Cast Credits: Peter Dineen - Theatre Critic

Company Credits: Writer - Conor McPherson. Director - uncredited. Technical Operator - Philip McDonnell. Producer - Richard Jordan. Company - Richard Jordan Productions.

END

(c) David Hepburn 2008

reviewed August 08 / Assembly @ George Street, Drawing Room

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com