Do You Come from Gomorrah? Review: A Blistering Portrait of Abuse and Prejudice
Frank McGuinness's disturbing new memory play, Do You Come from Gomorrah?, currently staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, delivers a powerful and unsettling exploration of a 1970s childhood scarred by institutional brutality and sectarian prejudice. The production, directed by Sarah Baxter, features Ryan Donaldson as an unnamed narrator, whose recollections of youth during the Troubles in Northern Ireland are presented with haunting intensity.
A Slippery Narrative of Trauma and Memory
Language proves twisted and elusive in this allusive play, as the Man reflects on a past that he claims does not belong to him. His memories emerge in fragmented snatches, shifting between hazy, humorous moments and sharply focused episodes of trauma. The narrative traces his early years with a violent, alcohol-addicted mother, followed by his time in a residential care home for teenage boys, run by the sadistic sexual abuser known as Beastie Billy.
In this grim setting, the boys endure Billy's Old Testament-infused sectarian and misogynist rhetoric, while being exploited at night, pimped to members of the British security forces. The narrator's teenage self ironically notes, "We serve the forces," highlighting the grotesque distortion of loyalty and service in this environment of abuse.
Staging and Design Enhance the Bleak Atmosphere
Staged in the intimate Peacock auditorium, the production benefits from close proximity to Ryan Donaldson's self-contained and quietly expressive performance, amplifying the narrative's bleakness. Director Sarah Baxter sets the monologue on a dark, coffin-like slab against a grey panelled backdrop, emphasising the shadowy, secret underworld of abuse, violence, prejudice, and denial.
Designer Alyson Cummins creates an abstract setting, where Sinéad McKenna's subtle lighting delineates changes in time periods and spaces. The lighting reveals tones ranging from steel grey to charcoal and inky blue-black, using a mirrored ceiling and a downstage pool of water to generate flickers of light and shade, enhancing the play's ethereal and oppressive mood.
Broader Implications and Themes of Love and Survival
While the infamous Kincora Boys' Home in Belfast may come to mind, the play never names specific locations, allowing the story to suggest a wider shared experience of institutional sexual abuse and brutality during that era. McGuinness's porous, allusive writing extends the narrator's painful journey to reflect the broader struggles of gay men coming of age before homosexuality was decriminalised in Northern Ireland.
Amidst the deep damage, the play also touches on themes of love and passionate longing, which propel the young man forward without looking back, lest he be turned into a pillar of salt, akin to Lot's wife. This blend of trauma and resilience underscores the human capacity for survival in the face of profound adversity.
Do You Come from Gomorrah? runs at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin until 16 May, offering a poignant and thought-provoking examination of historical abuse and its lasting impacts.
