Divine Words
Divine Words

The play, Divine Words, was actually set in Spain at the turn of the century. This production is particularly interesting in that an all-Irish cast was used, thus reinforcing the similarities between the strict Celtic Catholic communities in both Ireland and Spain.

Mari-Gaila (Dervla Kirwan) is married to Pedro Gailo and they have a daughter, Simonina. Mari-Gaila (she is referred to by her full name throughout - drives you up the wall after a while!) is a very beautiful woman who has every man falling at her feet. Even the local blind man (they always have one!) is bowled over by her as she tours the pubs dancing for the men. The women in the village are scandalised by her behaviour, being so friendly with the men, but curiously, they have a certain respect and admiration for her. All except Pedro's sister, Marica who feels that Mari-Gaila has brought shame on the family.

Pedro has two sisters, Marica, a widow, and Juana, also a widow who has a severely mentally and physically disabled son, Laureano. As was the tradition at this time with such people, Juana takes to the road with her son, showing him off as a freak at various fairs around the county and generally making a fortune out of him. When Juana is taken ill on the road and dies, there is a fight amongst her family as to who will care for Laureano, each knowing that he would earn them a fortune.

Eventually it is decided that Marica and Pedro will share the responsibility (profit?) and take turns to look after him. While she is on the road with 'the cart' Mari-Gaila is introduced to the Seventh Miau, a mysterious fellow who has the ability (he says) to see into the future. They fall in love and begin an affair. When Laureano dies and their affair is discovered, Mari-Gaila's world falls apart as she is tortured by the locals.

This was a very poignant but funny play. However, I suspect that if you were one of the 2 people in the country with no Irish blood whatsoever, it would have been nearly impossible to understand a word of it, as it was spoken in various accents, all of them thick. The most interesting point of note was Dervla's singing of a couple of folk songs, thus destroying the her own admission that she cannot sing a note!

There was also a very interesting cast, notably Sorcha Cusack as Rosa La Tatula and Gerard McSorley as the Seventh Miau. However, I would have enjoyed it all the more if I hadn't messed up my taping of it. Who says commercial breaks on the radio aren't a good idea?