REVIEWS

HOME, BOYS, HOME

“Ray Yeates reprises his role in this production, almost years on from his first with Bolger. He is strongly accompanied by Fionnuala Gygax and Donna Anita Nikolaisen, who play various roles, believably occupying the space of a cocky drug dealer one moment, an immigrant the next.”

Conor Capllis, THE IRISH TIMES

“Under Raymond Keane’s direction several moments achieve visual poetry, as when Shane’s daughter stalks him like a femme fatale in a film noir movie… Donna Anita Nikolaisen shines consistently as Lisa’s caring friend… Irish art owes Dermot Bolger a huge debt of gratitude for his immeasurable contribution over many decades.”

THE ARTS REVIEW

“From the reaction of the audience Bolger has succeeded in making engaging theatre. It was enthusiastically received. It was part of the Dublin Theatre Festival in the Civic Theatre in Tallaght and now is in the Viking in Clontarf. The cast and crew deserve praise for this production and for making it easily available to audiences outside the city centre.”

Frank L, NO MORE WORKHORSE

BELFAST GIRLS

“This is an actors’ and writer’s stage, with every performer shining in their own way – in particular, Donna Anita Nikolaisen handles the challenge of Judith’s mindset with commensurate command and Siobhan Kelly brings out Molly’s complexities with delicate nuance.”

Simon Fallaha

 

“In the opening scene we meet four of the five characters, one or two spatting already. ‘Fat’ Hanna (impressive Leah Rossiter) gets in an argument with Ellen (Fiona Keenan O’ Brien) over who caught the cook’s eye. The air turns blue but Judith, a natural leader and excellently played by Donna Anita Nikolaisen, sorts them out!

THE BELFAST TIMES

Jane Eyre

“Played with graceful exoticism by Donna Anita Nikolaisen, Bertha is as savage on this 21st-century stage as she is on the 19th-century pages. She brings gothic mysticism to an otherwise realistic work, portraying horror and beauty simultaneously, pointing to the era’s racism.”

Eithne Shortall, THE SUNDAY TIMES

 

“Other stand-out cast members include Donna Anita Nikolaisen as Bertha Mason, Rochester’s secret, disturbed wife who is locked in the attic and escapes to do mischief. We are introduced first to Bertha’s eerie laugh and elegant, dance-like movements and, later, to her rage, which Nikolaisen manages to make very frightening…”

Nuala Ní Chonchúir, THE ANTI ROOM

tEA CHEST AND DREAMS

“In a delicate exchange between the bright mannered Hickey and Nikolaisen, radiant with sincerity, the elderly character tells a new arrival about the psychology of accruing heirlooms, by which they “try and stop time by hording things”.”

Peter Crawley, THE IRISH TIMES

 

‘The humour of Hickey’s characters is neatly balanced by Nikolaisen’s skill at commanding the stage in the more serious moments – her depiction of a terrorised mother, determined to protect her child from the gang of bullies that plague them daily, is truly touching.’
 

Lauren O’Toole, ENTERTAINMENT.IE

 

“The strongest episode dramatically is the one where the stakes aren’t existentially abstract but frighteningly concrete. Nikolaisen’s single mother expresses quite sharply the almost palpable dread felt when she and her young daughter are left to the mercy of a vicious neighbourhood gang of kids, after she dared confront them over their public drinking…. handling that particular episode with care and nuance…”

 

Jesse Weaver, IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE