This one-man show by talented Ray Scannell is a rapid-fire monologue while playing a grand piano for accompaniment. It tells the life story of the fictional Julian Neary, a misfit with a talent for mimicry, who never really knows himself.

It starts with his origins as an adopted son in a manically-conservative Irish family, until he gets kicked out of home for failing college exams. He ends up in England working as a famous mimic and comedian, which feeds his drug habit.

The second half of his life is set in a dystopian future of economic collapse and intrusive medical technology, ending with his return to a broken Ireland. This vision of the future is done skilfully and without heavyhandedness - the style used is closer to magic realism.

The stream-of-consciousness format, as well as the musical background and what can at times be low-volume delivery, can make the piece a little difficult to follow, especially in the early stages. But the effort is well worthwhile and Ray Scannell pulls off a well-rounded story with a character who proves lovable despite his vacuous life.

While much of it is narrated in the third person, and scope for physicality is limited because of the piano-playing, the characters are illustrated through enough first-person vignettes to bring them to life. Ray Scannell's own skill as an impersonator is liberally used throughout, bringing comic relief to a pessimistic tale.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Raymond Scannell - (performer).

Company Credits: Writer / Composer - Raymond Scannell. Director - Tom Creed. Set Designer - Tom Creed. Lighting Designer - Tom Creed. Costume Designer - Joan Hickson. Technician - Anthony Hanley. Stage and Production Manager - Lucie Ryan Donnelly. Photography - Colm Hogan, Michael McSweeney. Producer - uncredited. Company - Raymond Scannell.

END

(c) Colman Higgins 2009

reviewed Saturday 27 June 2009 / Cork School of Music, Cork, Ireland

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com