Somnium review – Philomela’s violent tale told with ethereal artistry

Ethereal sound and imagery transform an ancient story of rape and mutilation in Brú Theatre ’s new production. Combining ancient ritual and modern technology, director James Riordan, two performers and the designers create an enveloping experience, with precisely calibrated audiovisual effects.

The story of Philomela (Philippa Hambly) who was raped by her sister Procne’s husband, King Tereus, is presented in snatches, drawing on different versions. Based on the Greek myth of Philomela and Procne, it is told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and also pops up in TS Eliot’s The Waste Land. It helps to know that Philomela is later transformed into a nightingale, since the bird is a recurring image here.

Layers of gauze curtains become screens for artist Jane Cassidy’s projected images of leaves, clouds and water, while lights swirl and voices emerge from the gloaming. Composed, performed and sung by Julianna Bloodgood, the score is a rich blend of harmonium, percussion, live and recorded vocals, eclectically mixing languages and world musical traditions. When Tereus cuts out Philomela’s tongue to prevent her from revealing what he has done, Bloodgood’s song becomes a low, thrumming lament: a guttural cry that also has controlled resonance. Bloodgood is such a compelling presence and superb singer that at times she eclipses the staged sequences.

Delicately lit by Sarah Jane Shiels, projections of swirling fog and surf fill the stage and auditorium, as Philomela, submitting to waves of grief, dives beneath, to emerge in a bird mask. It is exquisite, yet seems too delicate a treatment of this violent myth. Strangely, it omits Philomela’s resistance: refusing to be silenced, she embroidered a tapestry for Procne depicting the rape, and the sisters went on to exact horrifically gory revenge on Tereus, an act that inspired Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus . For all the artistry of this production, its dreamy solemnity is lacking some grit.

• Galway international arts festival continues until 28 July