Kitty waits alone in her kitchen. Her father is dying in the room next door. Kitty wishes he would just hurry up. Kitty wishes her boyfriend, late to accompany her to a local beauty pageant would hurry up too. Slugging whiskey and gorging cake isn’t going to help but whatever happens, Kitty’s evening is about to devastate or thrill.

Press for this production

‘An intense, poetic study of loneliness, cruelty and rural isolation, Kitty in the Lane is a mesmeric continuation of the Irish literary tradition’ ★★★★★ Broadway Baby

‘unflinching and captivating… a dark tragedy that strikes straight into your heart… It’s near-perfect theatre… Purely from a production standpoint this play is a knockout and stands right alongside the very best that any London theatre has to offer. Ryan delivers a breath-taking performance… that makes Kitty one of the most complete and compelling dramatic characters I’ve encountered in any play this year. Like all great characters, I’ve no doubt her memory will stick with me for a while yet… make sure you see it as soon as you can.’ ★★★★ 1/2 London Pub Theatres

‘Ryan writing style is sublime, with more than a hint of James Joyce’s cavalier approach to structure… Ryan is a consummate actor who knows her work inside out. She spits out dialogue in all directions like bullets on a battlefield. It is a manic, mesmerising, near unmissable performance.’  ★★★★ The Reviews Hub

Áine Ryan’s haunting and gripping monologue is unmissable… Florence Hand’s sound direction is exquisite… Constance Comparot’s set and Alex Forey’s lighting change the atmosphere from stark to mystical and dreamlike effortlessly with Jack Reardon’s assured direction… simply stunning.’ ★★★★ Fairy Powered Productions

‘Áine Ryan’s writing is beautifully evocative, painting an extraordinarily detailed picture of Kitty’s life and community… intense and dramatic, Kitty in the Lane keeps you hooked from the beginning. Áine Ryan is an excellent writer and performer… This is quality theatre, with a performance that’s guaranteed to stay with you.’ Theatre Things

‘The technical work put into this production is unequivocally top-notch… Ryan gives an intense and vivid performance… Working from her own script, the language is stylised, at times poetical, and every word and each movement is very deliberate with clear thought and intent behind absolutely everything. The script is dark, occasionally bleakly funny, triggering ripples of laughter through parts of the audience… this is a powerful evening with a performance and production hard to forget.’ ★★★★ Everything Theatre

‘Ryan has written this moving portrait in a language that plays at the outer reaches of grammatical structure with an archaic feel, and which can still express a gentle humour. In its writer’s hands, the delivery is compelling which together with a wiry physicality is otherworldly… Ryan’s mesmerising performance is supported by an evocative soundscape from Florence Hand and a powerfully effective lighting design from Alex Forey that adds to the atmosphere.’ British Theatre Guide

‘It’s intense as much as it is intriguing, and a performance well worth seeing’ ★★★★ LastMinuteTheatreTickets

‘It is over the course of the show that Áine Ryan’s one woman show takes the audience through a tale of laughs and horror with a final shock that leaves you reeling.’ ★★★★★ The Irish World

‘The mood is greatly aided by some superb lighting design by Alex Forey which contrives to ensure that the actor’s face is always lit, yet gives the impression of mist swirling. Imaginative sound design (Florence Hand), often using the violin which Kitty used to play, is subtly used throughout, also helping to create the atmosphere of foreboding which permeates the entire evening.’ London Theatre 1

‘An extraordinary accomplishment as both playwright and actress.’ ★★★★★ Charles Kruger, TheatreStorm

‘Áine Ryan is a wondrous actor. This is visceral monologue, in the hands of a superb performer.’ ★★★★ Fringe Review

‘Kitty in the Lane does some of the things Irish contemporary drama does best.’ ★★★★ Edinburgh Guide

NOMINATED FOR A STANDING OVATION AWARD.

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