In an eerie old house in Wicklow, two troubled men meet. Middle-aged Pete has come to rescue young Noel from his deadly obsession with a ‘Temptress’. But is Pete the rock of sense he claims to be? And does the Temptress really exist only inside Noel’s mind?
Speckintime and High Seas Productions present this spooky and darkly comic play. Written by international award winning writer Philip St John, Temptress is a startling new take on the Irish ghost story.
Writer – Philip St John
Director – Matthew Ralli
Producer – Melissa Nolan
Supported by Wicklow Arts & Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
Cast and Creatives
Carl Kennedy
Sound Design
Rowena Cunningham
Costume Design
Jenni Little
Stage Manager
Reviews
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“Deftly directed, exquisitely written, with two crowning performances…lovely little gem of a production.”
“impeccable attention to detail…exquisite set design…cleverly crafted characters…”
“Paul Doran’s light design wonderfully encapsulates both the haunted and hilarious.”
“…pace never slackens…”
“Utterly enjoyable and unrelentingly hilarious, “Temptress” is a wonderfully seductive production.”
-- Jennifer Magee, The Examiner
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“Is this play total nonsense? Yup. Is this play HUGELY ENJOYABLE? Yup. Is St. John a FAIRLY WICKEDLY TALENTED WRITER? Yup.”
“…EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE…”
-- Matthew O'Brien
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“…IMPRESSIVE…”
-- Paul Kealyn
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“TIGHT DIRECTION…”
“…terrific incidental music by Carl Kennedy performed by The Magpies.”
-- Emer O'Kelly, Sunday Independent
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“Matthew O’Brien and Paul Kealyn work well together, giving good believable performances…”
“MATTHEW RALLI [KEEPS] THE TENSION GOING, CRANKING IT UP BIT BY BIT.”
“…bizarre and strange and black…”
“…moves at a good pace…”
“…helped by Carl Kennedy’s balanced sound design.”
“Paul Doran’s lighting…is perfect.”
-- The Red Curtain Review
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“…as TENSE AND CLEVER as can be expected from the AWARD WINNING St John.”
“The set design of Lisa Krugel is a smoke choked spectacle”
“The Costumes too add volumes to the dialogue…”
“Paul Kealyn shoulders the spectrum of emotion as Pete…”
“Matthew O’Brien plays … a thermonuclear tirade that commands the stage.”
“…A PLAY THAT TICKS ALL THE BOXES…”
“…A MASTERCLASS PRODUCTION…”
-- C.K. MacNamara, No More Workhorse
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“…instantly atmospheric…”
“…in no way conventional…”
“St John’s spunky dialogue…provides ample laughs throughout as well as giving pause for thought.”
“…an excellent production team.”
“The atmospheric set…is perfectly executed by Lisa Krugel’s design.”
“…each actor is only as good his co-star, here O’Brien and Kealyn are undoubtedly in good company.”
“…an ENTHRALLING AND FUN way to spend an evening.”
-- David Keane, The Reviews Hub
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“Compelling…recalls the sly menace of Harold Pinter and Philip Ridley.”
-- Irish Theatre Magazine
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“The Sylvia doesn’t feel like any other contemporary Irish play. It feels new.”
-- Gavin Kostick, dramaturg at Fishamble
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“It is truly one not to be missed. Whatever else you want to do, drop it and go see The Art of Wedlock first.”
-- Alan Foran, The Red Curtain Review
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“Deeds of Deceit is clever, funny and well delivered…”
-- The Public Reviews
