Little Gem is a play^[1] written by Dublin playwright Elaine Murphy and was first produced by Guna Nua at Dublin’s 2008 Fringe Festival, September 9–13 in Project Cube, before transferring to The Loose End Studio at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght. It has been in continuous production since its debut. A three-hander tragic-comedy, Little Gem consists of three female monologists telling in successive scenes their personal histories of love and loss in an alienating contemporary world.

Plot synopsis

Three generations of Dublin women, Kay (grandmother), Loraine (mother) and Amber (granddaughter) narrate several months of emotional turmoil that they have experienced. Each woman is experiencing some sort of emotional crisis and communication between the three is fraught at best. Amber, who abuses alcohol and cocaine, has recently started dating the wayward Paul and it is suggested he will not be loyal. Lorraine has been separated from her partner Ray for many years. Ray is a homeless drug addict that occasionally drops into her life wreaking havoc as he does so. As the play opens Lorraine has experienced something of an emotional break-down in work and has been encouraged by her employers to seek therapy. Kay’s husband, Gem, has suffered a recent stroke and so is emotionally and physically distant from her, requiring homecare and is unable to feed or dress himself.

In each of the women’s experience an absent male partner contributes to the disconnection that they feel. But as a token of hope and redemption the baby boy Amber gives birth to and names Gem brings the women together as they close the play by sharing a bed with the child each contributing to the care of the child.

Original cast

• Anita Reeves as Kay
• Hilda Fay as Loraine
• Aoife Duffin as Amber

Translations

It was translated to Galician by Avelino González and Olga F. Nogueira, as Meu ben, for Em2.

References