No One Is Coming @ Scottish Storytelling Centre

Sinead O’Brien’s first solo show is a masterful mash-up of Irish folklore and raw, intimate re-enactments of her own traumatic past. This show thrived at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, and O’Brien is back again to deliver yet another stellar performance. Estranged from her mother, O’Brien takes us back in time, slowly revealing the past and the effect that her mother’s mental health struggles had on her childhood. Mixed into the narrative are various Irish folktales of fairies, true love, fate and magic. The genius idea of marrying the harsh reality of mental health issues with the hopeful, magical world of Irish folklore allows O’Brien to create a piece as beautiful and funny as it is harrowing.

There is no set for this piece – only one wooden chair and various lighting changes – yet O’Brien manages to keep the audience captivated for nearly an hour by maintaining eye contact as she delivers this heartfelt and powerful performance. The use of minimal lighting compliments O’Brien’s skill as a performer; somehow a mere torch light manages to convey an entirely different atmosphere and setting as O’Brien re-enacts a camping trip with her father. The quick transformations from storyteller of folklore to narrator of her own past are masterful, as she manages to maintain the flow of the performance perfectly. 

It is impossible to break eye contact with O’Brien for fear that you might miss a facial expression or movement of her captivating performance. Ultimately, her infectious energy makes the audience laugh, gasp and cry. As it all comes to fruition in the last mythical tale of the deer, O’Brien’s eyes tear up, and you can’t help but do the same. Sinead O’Brien has stated that No One Is Coming is a love letter to her mother that she will never send, and the love is clear in the passion with which she tells her story.  

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No One Is Coming, Scottish Storytelling Centre (Netherbow Theatre), 18 Aug, 8.45pm, £12-14