World Premiere of Roddy Doyle's 'The Woman Who Walked into Doors'
9 April 2003

A scene from The Woman Who Walked into Doors

On Thursday May 1st, The Theatre at The Helix hosted the world premiere of The Woman Who Walked into Doors. This stage adaptation of Roddy Doyle's novel will play at The Helix until Saturday May 24th.

The play is the story of Paula Spencer's courtship and marriage. Paula, played with searing brilliance by Hilda Fay, met, smooched and married Charlo Spencer, played by the disturbingly brilliant Brian F O'Byrne. The play begins with a visit by a Garda to Paula to inform her of the death of her, by then, estranged husband Charlo. He was shot dead by Special Branch while attempting to flee the scene of a crime.

From this opening Paula charts her relationship with Charlo, (he's Charlo even to his Mum), their first meeting at a disco, complete with air guitars, Slade, bomber jackets and parallels, through their courtship and marriage. It is a story of love and life, and a story of shocking and shattering violence and abuse. It is a portrayal of a particular experience of masculinity, an exploration of the manifestations of that experience of masculinity and an expression of its possible consequences.

Described by one commentator as Ireland's bright wordsmith, Roddy Doyle taught geography and English in North Dublin for fourteen years. His first novel, 'The Commitments' was published in 1987 when Roddy and his friend John Sutton borrowed money to publish the novel themselves. The movie version of the novel, directed by Alan Parker, brought Roddy Doyle to an international audience. He was shortlisted for The Booker Prize in 1991 for his novel 'The Van' and he won The Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel 'Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha'.

'The Woman Who Walked into Doors' is Roddy Doyle's third play and it is based on his fifth novel, published in 1997. The inspiration for the story of the woman who walked into doors emerged from 'Family', a four-part TV series Roddy Doyle wrote for the BBC which aired in Ireland and the UK to great acclaim and controversy for it's portrayal of domestic abuse.

At the world premiere of the drama at The Helix the capacity audience greeted the performance with an ecstatic ovation. It is a powerful drama and the drama is all Paula's and Charlo's. It expresses all the wonder and excitement of their love and intimacy while relentlessly and remorselessly documenting it's torture and trauma.

Congratulations to Nick Reed, Director of The Helix, for this extraordinary coup for our Arts Centre.

Christina Quinlan