Misterman at National Theatre (Lyttelton)

By Fiorenzo Cecere

To my dismay, it transpired that this play was not actually a tribute to Mr Happy, Mr Strong, or any of their compatriots.  (Sorry, corny joke.)

‘Misterman’ is a baffling yet extraordinary one-man and -act play about a loner who hides himself away in a huge, dimly-lit and dilapidated garage: a concrete jungle populated by rows and rows of pillars and fluorescent lights (which flicker randomly). 

To tell the truth, I was not looking forward to this play as I am never a fan of one-character plays and Cillian Murphy, who embodies the eponymous role. But, I must say that Cillian certainly won me over with his acting repertoire: the way he impersonated a number of local people in his Irish small town constantly captivated me. 

This play challenges the audience to ask: why has Misterman locked him himself in this brutally stark environment?  Has something occurred to the world, like the aftermath of a nuclear bomb, perhaps?  Or is Misterman simply a loner with an overactive imagination, with an array of imaginary characters keeping him company?

Admittedly, this play is quite intellectually taxing at times, and if it wasn’t for Cillian’s tour de force performance and the spectacular set, this play might have been quite unbearable to watch.  However, I applaud National Theatre for offering something new and unusual.