Review: SHROUD, Playground Theatre

We never go too long without learning new details of the heinous crimes committed by the Catholic Church. Just earlier this year, Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger apologised for turning a blind eye to clerical pedophelia back when he was Archbishop of the dioceses of Munich and Freising.

He's not the first and won't be the last ecclesiastical figure to admit something of the likes. It's a widespread issue and the perpetrators keep eluding the law, with the clergy opting to punish their own with a slight slap on the hand and a different faraway parish where they can save more innocent souls. It's not enough to diligently recite "mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" when centuries of abuse keep going without consequences.

Irish theatre company Hawtheatre tackle the Church's reticence to take responsibility in a drama that's as sharp in its criticism as it's lacking in its dramatic tension and stagecraft. Director Jim Ivers's sole highlight is Bernard Field's writing. The outcome can be accurately explained with an image that comes straight from the show: a spotlight fixes itself on a reproduction of the Shroud of Turin - which hangs immobile above the altar, the eyes of God watching his children as they sin - but the Shroud is off centre and the result, albeit good in theory, ends up being sloppy.

Shroud is disappointingly predictable. While the Bishop endeavours to ensnare Father Jonathan and bring him back to the Church after his pedophilic tendencies led to a child's suicide, we find out that Father Martin is perpetrating the same atrocities for which Jonathan hasn't received any official reprimand yet. It appears a confession is enough for what's seen as a mere "an inevitable setback". But Father Jonathan had been confessing his endless violence all along. Meanwhile, Martin's victim is stuck underneath the altar. Tragedy strikes again and nobody gets punished for it. In that way, the piece is very realistic.

The sins of the Church often make for intriguing stage productions, but it feels like Shroud might be better suited for a radio play. Visually, nothing much happens against Iris Merz's scant set. The sign of the cross is thrown in here and there out of duty, as well as a few genuflections, but the production is otherwise very still and monotonous both in reasoning and in visuals. While the two pedophiles are the clear villains of the story, ironically, it's the Bishop who comes off the worst. As they struggle to come to terms with their unforgivable misdeeds, it's he who excuses them and justifies their actions.

Sometimes it's the boys' fault, other times it's the devil's. But it's never the men's. Bernard Field is a weak and meek priest, who seems to fold up onto himself during the Bishop's visit. The latter is portrayed by Michael Irwin, who, in turn, is a snide politician. Even when the suspicion of abuse takes hold of his thinking, he does nothing to look out for the boy and prefers to cover the bases with the cleric to avoid any further scandals in the parish after Fintan Kelly's Father Jonathan's fiasco with icy calm

The holy men are supported by John McDonagh as JP, an Estonian handyman and minion of the Bishop's. His character gives Field plenty of chances to set up a breeding ground for the usual Eastern European stereotypes - he allegedly doesn't understand any English (he does) and he's what this government would classify as unskilled worker (he isn't). But, according to the Bishop, he does a cracking imitation of John Paul (he doesn't).

Ultimately, hardly anybody who attends the play will need to be convinced of the Catholic Church's role in sweeping pedophilia under the carpet of its aisles, so the question is: what's the aim here? There isn't enough action for the story to be its core, although the criticism of the clergy is strong enough. It delivers its point, especially with Father Jonathan's last speech, but doesn't offer anything more than we already knew nor makes a good show of it. The Catholic Church is theatrical, so why isn't this?

Shroud runs at the Playground Theatre until 5 March.

Image credit: Rico Zimmer

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