Misterman

Following a series of modern plays with small casts and no intervals I have been attending, this one took it to the ultimate conclusion - a one act 90 minute play with only one actor.

Two cliches apply. First its a virtuoso performance, a tour de force. Cillian Murphy is incredible, but you would need to be to hold an audience on your own (well with the aid of some dramatic sound and lighting, and the sort of vast stage that the National can utilise but can't be matched by the prettier theatres of the West End).

And it falls into the category of disturbing. The play is about a totally unhinged young man who thinks he is God's agent on Earth, or at least in Inishfree in rural Ireland, but is obviously an inadequate soul mocked by his fellow villagers and, as the play unfolds, not just funny but dangerous. Good dramatic ending, but overall not an easy watch. Don't go if you want a good laugh (although there are some reasonably amusing lines).