Review by Steve Bennett

My News draws its title from the classroom practice in Ireland (and I think the UK) where on a Monday morning in infant school you’d be expected to write ‘my news’ in your book for the class.

As it’s children’s writing, you expect nothing extraordinary, the occasional unintentionally indiscreet revelation, or a ‘we had fish fingers for breakfast’ break in routine. Her analogy is perfect for this show. She doesn’t do ‘deep’, she doesn’t do ‘in your face’. Taking her cue from poet P J Kavanagh, she celebrates the mundane and looks for the beauty in ordinary life.

Her quiet, musical voice describes elements of her family, the dangers of starting a conversation with a stranger on a train, and so much more – the problem is that this done so conversationally, so modestly that it’s feels like listening to a someone from work chatting away; at first you’re genuinely interested, but after a while it’s hard to maintain concentration. There’s little change in pace or rhythm, except for a diversion into a brief, quirky (read bonkers) re-enactment an Irish classic using recycled waste puppets

It’s a sweet show, plenty of constant giggling and smiling, but you could almost have the same content in chat in a cosy bar with Maeve as the endearing host. For a show in a prestigious venue at the world’s biggest arts festival, this really is a bit too minimalist.

Reviewed by: Julian Chambers

Review date: 1 Jan 2007
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett