Breakfast Plays: Doomsdays

Conor O’Loughlin
Traverse Theatre
Traverse 3

Doomsdays Credit: Image by Hi Jump. Design by Mihaela Bodlovic

Conor McLaughlin’s three-quarter-hour-long podcast is a comedy centring on a post-millennial doomsday cult.

Following a prologue delivered by Helen Katamba’s Senga in which she reminds listeners of the build-up to Y2K and the damp squib that followed, the action moves forward.

In 2021, Senga has reinvented herself as Agnes, an estate agent boasting the kind of false bonhomie that is their stock in trade.

As we soon discover on the arrival of her prospective clients, Felix and Faye respectively played by Robbie Jack and Laura Lovemore, those talents have previously been put to another use.

In the lead up to 21/12/12, a date to conjure with, the estate agent had been a portentous prophetess predicting that the world would end.

As with every cult of this type, she had persuaded gullible believers to dispense with their worldly goods and gather together at “the Homestead” to await transcendence.

The problem with any prediction is that once it passes its due date, the god-like seer is made to look a bit of an ass. In this case, she sensibly disappeared.

Most of the action takes place towards the end of next year (2021), as bitter Felix and devoted Faye seek explanations and vengeance in a witty comedy directed by Debbie Hannan that is generally strong but might have benefited from a little pruning.

Reviewer: Philip Fisher

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