When was the last time your lover made you a cup of coffee in the morning? For Máire, it’s never happened before, until the morning of her 67th birthday. But her day takes a startling turn when she finds out that lover isn’t who he says he is. Deirdre Kinahan’s powerful play, The Saviour, looks at love, trauma, and above all else, forgiveness through the eyes of an Irish former nun. However, it’s Rosemary Dunsmore’s dynamic performance which will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Kinahan’s text is beautifully nuanced both in style and subject. In her opening monologue, Máire frequently switches between past and present tense as she tries to sort out her feelings for Martin, the man who’s downstairs making her that coffee. This indecision is an indication of how Máire lives: one foot in the past, and one in the present. We see this struggle throughout the text, and most poignantly once her son Mel arrives and begins to talk to her about Martin’s sordid history. When attacked, Máire reverts to this pious, cold woman, though she later feels like she doesn’t recognize that self or her opinions. Throughout the play, Máire divulges the traumas she’s faced in her own past, aided by Danish Qumran Chinniah’s haunting sound design, and it becomes more clear as the play progresses how much those years in the convent still affect her (which is aided by Dhanish Kumar Chinniah’s haunting sound design).

The inter-generational tension which we feel from the moment Mel walks through the door is highlighted by the topics addressed within the play. Issues like queer rights and the Me Too movement are brought up in the context of forgiveness, and to what extent are we willing to forgive. That threshold point, where Máire is and is not willing to extend her love, becomes the point of no return for the text as well as her relationship with Mel. It’s heartbreaking to witness this breakdown between the two characters, especially while you watch Máire simultaneously being forced to question so many aspects of her life while resorting to her antiquated ways.

The Saviour is helmed by the incomparable Rosemary Dunsmore who delivers a riveting performance. At the beginning, the joy which emanates from her is contagious; her excitement and slight guilt about her romantic tryst the night before makes her seem like a teenager again. It makes the change we witness in her demeanour all the more profound as she not only relives parts of her trauma, but gets defensive and is cruel to her son. Playing her son Mel is Dunsmore’s actual son Robert Gerow. He brings his own incredible passion to Mel, and the tension he has on stage with Dunsmore is palpable. The pair work so incredibly well together and that familiarity certainly can be felt while they’re together. The twists and turns of this text would not have as great an impact if not for the stellar performances to accompany it, and this duo had me on the edge of my seat.

The Saviour asks us to consider where our own line in the sand is: who could you forgive and for what? And what if it’s you who needs some of that forgiveness too? This compelling play will leave you ruminating on its complex themes and inimitable performances long after you leave. Currently running until August 16th, you won’t want to miss this stirring production. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.herefornowtheatre.com/thesaviour

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Cover Photo: Rosemary Dunsmore and Robert Gerow. Photo by Ann Baggley

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