REVIEW: MÁM @ THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

🎭 MÁM

📍  The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR

🗓 Tuesday 3rd March 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

FRENZIED, FEARSOME, AND FABULOUS

Wow what a show! Frenzied and a little fearsome, Teaċ Daṁsa’s MÁM is an explosion of dance and sound brilliantly interwoven leaving its audience nearly as breathless as the dancers.

The opening sequence presents us with a child dressed in pure white lying prone before a demonic creature in dark attire to the accompaniment of wheezing breaths from a concertina, air valve open and smoking. A curtain falls revealing an array of anonymous monochrome figures with strange, misshapen head gear who gesture and vocalise towards the child. Parents, carers and watchers of horror movies feel a shudder creep down their spine, fearful of what is about to happen….

Only it doesn’t and that is the keynote to this dazzling show. Leave all expectations outside and buckle up for an emotionally triggering ride, a show where you feel rather than know.

Inspired by the landscape and with its roots in the West Kerry Gaeltacht, Director and Choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan works his dancers to the very last drop of their energy as they whirl, scream and collapse, only to rise over and again in harmony or noisy discord. From the moment the show starts to the epic last scene there is movement. Staccato zombie like and seeming to ooze malevolence or flowing and dreamlike. Suggestively sensual or comical.   Subtle hints of religious fervour, mythical storytelling, pagan ritual all flit through our minds as the work unfolds.  Most of all – who is the child?

The sound and the music in the production are part of the performance in so many unexpected ways. Cormac Begley’s virtuoso concertina, fingers surely flying faster than humanly possible, underpins the whole with jigs, reels and airs redolent of ancient Eire. Sometimes the music seems to oppose the darkness of the dance, at other times it provides foot tapping joy. The addition, later in the show, of S t a r g a z e both as hugely talented musicians and performers in the rituals adds an extra dimension of brilliance to an already amazing show.

The monochromatic costumes, shed and donned in layers, add character and connotation to the narrative as does the equally monochrome set, brightened only by church chairs and occasional blasts of fiery lighting. This understated design adds to the ability to feel the show rather than have the meaning laid out in front of your eyes. There is one very funny scene, potentially sponsored by Tayto, which is more self-evident, the rest is for your own interpretation.

It is an overwhelming experience of a show, choreography and music intermingling seamlessly to produce a sensational production in every way. I’m going again tonight! 

MÁM, presented by Dance Consortium, has one more performance at Theatre Royal Plymouth tonight. Click here to check availability and to book tickets,

Rosie Sharman-Ward

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of MÁM was gifted by Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show on behalf of Pink Prince Theatre in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

COMPANY:

Performers: Imogen Alvares; Bea Bidault; Kim Ceysens; Caimin Gilmore; Nina Harries; Aki Iwamoto; Mayah Kadish; Timon Koomen; Dylan Lynch; Daniel Myers; Delilah Neilson; Amit Noy; Keir Patrick; Ino Riga; David Six; Jimmy Southward; Holly Vallis; Kayva Van Gangelen; Verena Zeine 

Music: Cormac Begley; s t a r g a z e 

Created, Directed & Choreographed by: Michael Keegan-Dolan 

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS: 

Haze; Flashing lights; Loud music (live) and noise

AGE GUIDELINE:

10 +

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