I wouldn't normally write two reviews for two plays together, however the similarities between the two were uncanny. The two plays are The Weir playing at the New Theatre in Newtown and The New Electric Ballroom playing at the SBW Stables Theatre Darlinghurst, they both opened on the same night and will close on the 31 March. Both plays are set in rural Ireland, in small villages where everybody knows each other and a stranger is a novelty. They are both set in one location throughout the play but other places are referenced. They both have no plot, each developing with the characters, relying totally on the script and the quality of the actors. The characters in both plays tell stories of the past and it is through these stories that we learn, who they are. Both plays are very well written, the dialogue is very natural, they are both well produced and the acting in both plays should be commended. Having said all that, the two plays were very different in tone and emotion and so I will now deal with them separately.
