Earl’s Court’s Finborough Theatre boasts vibrant new writing as one of its programming specialties, with an unspoken but notable bent towards the Celtic. In 2019, they presented a the sold-out English premiere of Joseph Crilly’s On McQuillan’s Hill, and several acclaimed productions from celebrated Northern Irish playwright David Ireland.

Lies Where It Falls is the theatre’s latest offering – a deeply personal piece that explores the traumatic fallout of The Troubles around writer and performer Ruairi Conaghan. Conaghan’s one-man show is based in a harsh reality, and shares his personal experience of the murder of his uncle and namesake, Judge Rory Conaghan, at the hands of the IRA in 1974.

Ruairi Conaghan’s script, developed and workshopped with dramaturg Patrick O’Kane, is a poignant reflection on the greater generational trauma of conflict in Ireland, peppered with personal tragedy. Conaghan is an engaging performer who brings a sparkling, wry humour to his own words. This is not a personal tirade or a self-pitying moan, but a knotty grappling with the sunken bodily effects of horror and trauma, tapping into the unseen, swallowed effects of decades of repression and violence.

At 75 minutes, this is a tight and neat one-hander that bares the personal side of history. As Conaghan weaves the story of his ‘escape’ from Ireland and his journey to becoming a professional actor, he threads in pieces of personal inspiration – quotes, songs and parts that he has played in his life. In a different setting, this onstage memoir might not be so dramatically effective, but in the intimate space of the Finborough Theatre, we think it is just about carried off.

Movement director Dylan Quinn has done an excellent job of keeping this one-man show dynamic. Conaghan also does well to vary the pace and tone of his delivery, although there are moments where his abrupt shouting cut through the tiny theatre in a jarring way.

Juliette Demoulin’s set is simply effective – a patchwork of newspaper headlines that plaster the rear of the stage, leaving space for the voice of the storyteller. However, this is not the most imaginative set we have seen at the Finborough Theatre, which gifts a completely flexible seating arrangement to designers.

Another feather in the cap of the Finborough Theatre, proud champion of lesser-heard voices.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett

Lies Where It Falls plays at the Finborough Theatre until 21 December, with further info here.