Hi °C | Lo °C What a beautiful, compelling, heartbreaker of a show.
Silent is the story of Cork man Tino McGoldrig, destitute on the streets of Dublin, with just a blanket and a bottle of merlot for company. He once had a life filled with splendid things — a brother, a wife, a son, a home.
Now, he sleeps in doorways or on corners, with little but his memories to keep him warm.
Pat Kinevane, who both wrote and performs the piece, combines theatre, dance and mime to give a heartfelt performance as the man named after silent movie star Rudolph Valentino.
He shares his story, portraying the past as scenes from a silent film. Voices from his long ago clamour to be heard.
These interludes show us why Tino is alone.
We watch as his sense of shame grows and his life disintegrates. It’s a desperately sad story, but Kinevane punctuates it with shrugs of humour and dollops of humanity.
He looks us in the eyes and says: “If anyone asks, I’m not here at all, all right?”
And then, suddenly, he isn’t.
