With a play titled Living with a Dark Lord, you would expect it to be based on an evil villain from some sort of horror novel. However, it is quite the opposite. It is a heart-warming and hilarious production in which three sisters – Maeve, Aisling and Cait – take you through their childhood memories of what it was like to grow up with The Dark Lord, who, it turns out, is their autistic brother Shaun. Over a period of 12 years, he refused to speak and still insists on wearing a cloak to compliment this dark persona. Written and performed autobiographically, the three sisters allow their audience to see how their relationship with Shaun has affected them as individuals.

‘Happy Spawning Anniversary!’, reads a large homemade banner. Shaun resents the word ‘birthdays’. The play is set over one evening, with the sisters coming together to celebrate their brothers 30th. This is a tradition that they embark on every year. However, Shaun refuses to take part, and so they do so on his behalf. Each of them play themselves, without holding back. They reminisce on both the good times and the bad. Then, the sisters swap memories, with some disagreements as they try to see how it is that they have managed to find the light within Shaun’s darkness.

You’ll laugh hearing unbelievable stories about the situations The Dark Lord has caused unintentionally. The action flows well and manages to show the essence of true family life, without missing their classic sibling dynamic. You also get a sense of the rivalry between them as they discuss who believes had it worse, or who it was that looked after Shaun best. Of course, the sisters have chosen to pick certain events that stand out to them (as well as those for entertainment purposes), and I can see that they would struggle to tell us everything in such a short space of time. Sometimes you don’t want to reveal it all, and there is already so much to unpack within their superb storytelling. They make you feel as if you were there.

The energy between the sisters is electric. They bounce off one another, and you can sense that they enjoy letting us into their world. There is a beautiful harmony as the trio sing a heartfelt song, and also some awkward moments when you are not sure whether to laugh or cry. Living With A Dark Lord is a captivating production that takes you on a whirlwind of what it must be like to grow up with an autistic sibling, while also making you intrigued to meet The Dark Lord himself. This is not to be missed up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!

 

Living with a Dark Lord playing at Paradise in the Vault at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 13-18 August. For more information and tickets, see here.

Photo Credit: Sam Gee