Absolut Fringe: Heroin
Heroin. What did I expect to see in a show about heroin addicts? Some skangers banging up, robbing their grannies for a few quid, making a mess of things and coming to a nasty or sad or messy end. Did I get that? No. Heroin was very different to that. It was almost a play about actors playing heroin addicts. Maybe that’s what it was, I wasn’t sure when they were playing addicts and when they were playing the actors playing addicts. I saw this on Wednesday evening and I am still unsure as to whether or not I enjoyed it. “Enjoy” is probably the wrong word. I was hooked on their words, on their action. I took out my notebook to take notes but I wrote nothing, not one word. Although at times it was violent, loud and aggressive, I couldn’t look away. The seven people who left at various points during it obviously found it difficult to watch too. I was so taken up in what was going on, by the end of Heroin I felt a bit battered and drained. Confused about what I had seen. A man in the row in front of me was visibly upset.
Heroin is not there to entertain but to tell you something. It picks you up and takes you on the convoluted, unnecessary, self-destructive and violent journey of a heroin addict. Was there a conclusion? A climax? A resolution to the story at the end? Not really. There wasn’t meant to be. Maybe I have completely misinterpreted what I saw, maybe I am still confused. It was intense and emotional, I can tell you that for sure.
What the blurb says:
We are fuck ups and we are fucking it up. There’s dust in our mouths, we’re breaking our windows, we can’t remember who we’re voting for. We’ve collapsed all our veins so we’re standing up and shouting. We’re staying in, We’re bailing out, we’re up and away, we’re on, we’re gone. WE’RE GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. We’re reefing off our rings and buying more gear. Smile. HEROIN is a radical staging of how we got here, and how much we care.
The Irish Times gave it 4 stars so you can take their word over my confused babbling! All three actors were superb in this. Unfortunately, the final performance tonight at 9.45pm is now sold out but if you get a chance to see it again – do.
