MISTERMAN National Theatre/Lyttleton

Edna Walsh and Cillian Murphy are working together for the first time since Disco Dogs launched their careers 15 years ago. The play is a dark, fragmentary yet dense 90-minute monologue, which makes a passing nod in the direction of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp, the Bible and W B Yeats. The setting is a vast, abandoned, dirty warehouse in rural Ireland. Murphy, acting much younger than he is, rushes around it like a teenager. He is very funny in the opening sequence when he is failing to shut down some loud amplified singing. His role is a religious maniac, a lonely introvert, who alternates between gauche immaturity and sudden violence. His interaction with the local community, who constantly revile him, takes place only inside his crazy head. The play is a showcase for Murphy technique and range (he plays all the roles) and his performance is a tour de force.