And the Rope Still Tugging Her Feet

And the Rope Still Tugging Her Feet is an unusual, intriguing real-life horror mystery. It’s based on the 1984 Kerry Babies case, in which a young child was found stabbed to death on White Strand beach in County Kerry. Joanne Hayes was arrested on suspicion of murder, but when it was proved that her own baby had died at birth and was buried on her family’s farm, the police instead attempted to charge her for two murders.

Caroline Burns Cooke plays Hayes, recounting her strict Catholic upbringing among nuns, her two pregnancies, her arrest and her lengthy absolution (after Hayes was charged with murder, her case was thrown out by a judge and an investigatory tribunal was established). Her performance is wounded and pleading, making her case to us while condemning her treatment by police.

It’s an extraordinary, even hard to believe, example of state violence and murder mystery, but Cooke’s tendency to overact spoils its momentum. She also steps in and out of several characters to retrace the ground from many angles. This exposes an importantly wide viewpoint, but makes it hard for the performance to build any real impetus.

At its end, when we are implored to sympathise with Hayes in the hour of her judgement, it’s tricky not to feel slightly shortchanged and potentially still confused about the case. This has the makings of a far stronger show. With some dialling down and a greater focus on Hayes herself, this could soar.