Do You Come from Gomorrah? Review – Frank McGuinness's Blistering Portrait of Abuse and Prejudice
Language becomes twisted and slippery in Frank McGuinness's disturbing new memory play, Do You Come from Gomorrah?, currently staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. An unnamed narrator, portrayed by Ryan Donaldson, looks back on his 1970s youth during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, declaring that the past "does not belong to me." This allusive production delves into a childhood marred by institutional brutality and sectarianism, offering a raw and intense theatrical experience.
A Narrative of Recollection and Trauma
The Man's recollections emerge in fragmented snatches, sometimes hazily with humorous shrugs, then sharply focused. He recounts his early years with a violent mother struggling with alcohol addiction, followed by his time in a residential care home for teenage boys. This institution is run by a luridly sadistic sexual abuser known as Beastie Billy, who subjects the boys to Old Testament-infused sectarian and misogynist rhetoric. At night, the boys are pimped to members of the British security forces, with the narrator's teenage self ironically noting, "We serve the forces," as ideas of loyalty and service become increasingly distorted.
While the infamous Kincora Boys' Home in Belfast immediately comes to mind, it is never named in the play. McGuinness's writing suggests that institutional sexual abuse and brutality at the time extended beyond its walls, pointing to a wider shared experience of gay men coming of age before homosexuality was decriminalised in Northern Ireland.
Staging and Performance Intensity
In the small Peacock auditorium, the proximity to Ryan Donaldson's self-contained and quietly expressive performance adds significant intensity to the already bleak narrative. Director Sarah Baxter's assured production stages the monologue on a dark, coffin-like slab against a grey panelled backdrop, emphasising the shadowiness of this secret underworld of abuse, violence, prejudice, and denial. The production avoids specificity with regard to historical facts and locations, creating a universal resonance.
Designer Alyson Cummins's abstract setting relies on Sinéad McKenna's subtle lighting to denote changes in time periods and spaces. The lighting reveals tones of grey from steel to charcoal to inky blue-black, using a mirrored ceiling and a pool of water downstage to create flickers of light and shade, enhancing the play's haunting atmosphere.
Themes of Damage and Love
Amid the deep damage portrayed, the play also explores themes of love and passionate longing. It is this emotional drive that propels the young man onwards and far away, without a backward glance—a reference to the biblical story of Lot's wife, who turned into a pillar of salt. McGuinness's delicately porous and allusive writing allows the narrator's painful story to suggest broader societal issues, making it a powerful commentary on abuse and resilience.
Do You Come from Gomorrah? runs at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin until 16 May, offering audiences a thought-provoking and emotionally charged experience that resonates with historical and contemporary relevance.
