Arachnophilia by hoktauri6/1/2023 Her surprise turns to anger as she storms out telling Conor that their relationship is over. There is a present waiting for her and it is safe to say Alice is not expecting what is to come. ![]() The first comes right at the start when Alice is brought blindfolded into the house by Conor. There are two critical moments in Arachnophilia. Both Bellhop and Exoskeleton wear the same pinstriped pants and matching shirts. Although it is simple, it is highly effective. The costume design is also to be commended. This adds a touch of the absurd but it is so well done that it is not questioned for a moment and serious credit must go to the director for having the confidence to trust with such a simple approach. On one side of the stage we have the humans (Conor and Alice) whereas on the other side we have the arachnids Bellhop and Exoskeleton and for a brief couple of minutes a Grasshopper. The creation of a space which can accommodate so much is one of the most amazing achievements of the director (Sarah Bradley) who creates a brilliant mise-en-scene. Talking grasshoppers at that, but once again it works. Bellhop’s dinner consists of Grasshoppers. This conceit may seem a bit far fetched but it works very well and at no point did I find this difficult to believe. While Bellhop remains within his cage for the duration of the play, he, or is it she (played brilliantly by Ian Dunphy) and in tandem with Exoskeleton (Bellhop’s Exoskeleton played by Caoimhe Mulcahy). Now, if I told you that Bellhop becomes not only the main character but the one with the most lines you might stop and wonder what I am talking about. The relationship between Conor and Alice probably comes in a close third in importance. As is the relationship between Bellhop and Exoskeleton. Bizarrely enough the relationship between Conor and Bellhop is very important. It is at this point that we realise that there are lots of relationships which we need to keep an eye. It is feeding time for Bellhop, the spider. On one occasion when she is invited over to the apartment she reluctantly agrees to help Conor with some interview questions but just as they are about to get started an alarm sounds which reminds Conor that it is feeding time. Alice tries to bring Conor back from the brink but it is met on each occasion by an increasingly obsessed Conor. Over the next 70 minutes we trace this relationship. Discovering that it was intended to prepare them for having a baby makes things even worse. Her bemusement on discovering that her boyfriend had bought her a tarantula was pretty complete. At this stage the audience were one step ahead of Alice. However, that is all about to change.Ĭonor has a surprise for Alice. ![]() On the face of it we are looking at an average young couple. And here we were thrown straight into the relationship of Conor and Alice. Suddenly, the audience’s expectations are subverted. As the play starts, the character who we had been staring at for the previous few minutes was replaced at the fore by Conor (played by Harry Butler) and Alice (played by Meg Healy).Īdvertisement Listen to Meg Healy play Personality Bingo with Tom Moran below ![]() Reclining on a chaise lounge was a character which you might fairly assume was the main character. ![]() On walking into the auditorium you were met with a curtain free set. There was a couple of free seats for the performance which I attended but it would be fair to describe the theatre as packed. The New Theatre is a small and, as it’s name suggests, new theatre on Essex Street in the heart of Temple Bar. Yet, to sum it up as such would be to leave out so much. That is without even getting into the slightly absurd nature of the play. At times, It is laugh out loud funny, it has a serious spine running through the whole play and ends with the death of arguably the main character. It is difficult to do justice to Arachnophilia. It is important to state at the outset that the Arachnophilia is perfectly safe for any Arachnophobes.
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