Silent

Shuffling across the stage under a blanket, Pat Kinevane slowly makes his way towards the audience. Peering out from underneath the dirty and torn material, glittery eye shadow adorning each lid, he starts to speak. What are we expecting him to say? A monologue about homelessness will surely begin with something dark and depressing about life on the streets.

Instead, Kinevane delivers an opening gambit so laugh out loud funny, it instantly catapults us into his world. Seventy-five minutes later, he lets us go back into our own, but somehow we’ve been changed. Using the slow-release method, he gradually tells us how he ended up with a blanket for a home, relying on the kindness of strangers to feed his Merlot habit. Along the way we encounter parental abuse, suicide, failed marriage and a love of silent movies.

If this sounds like a recipe for a morose night at the theatre, don’t be deceived. Truly comic descriptions punctuate even the darkest incidents. Part of the Dublin-based Fishamble company, Kinevane is a formidable talent, both writing and performing this remarkable work. A Fringe must-see if ever there was one.

Dance Base, 225 5525, until 20 Aug, times vary, £7.