A Dream of Dying

A Dream of Dying's murky script wastes the potential of an extraordinary true story.

In 2009, an unidentified man binned his possessions, bought eight stamps and drowned himself in Ireland. In imagining this man’s life and the people he wrote to in his last days, Tresa Nelon creates a clichéd life of disappointment. Absence of control in life leads to the desire to control death, Nelon suggests.

This could mean so much to those graduating from university full of uncertainty, those lost in the middle of their careers, and those looking back on their life’s regrets. The concept of taking control of death is striking, and could be extremely provocative, but A Dream of Dying’s attempt to convey this story is let down by unremarkable writing that leaves us floating with no strong opinions either way.

The pursuit of engaging with a story so filled with holes is an admirable task, but the script is neither clear not nuanced enough to bring this man back to life. Lawrence Boothman’s performance as the lonely man desperately vies for our attention. His puppy like energy makes him extremely likeable but his speed doesn’t allow us to catch up or let any emotions settle.

Directed and designed by David Shopland, Boothman moves around a modest sandcastle set, the props rarely used and feeling fairly pointless, aside from the upturned buckets that transport us back to childhood in a moment of enjoyably awkward adolescence.

Unfortunately, the press release explains what the play attempts in a far more coherent and exciting way than the play does itself. A forgettable production about a forgotten man.