Theatre Review:Tiger Dublin Fringe - Various venues

Grounded 3/5

George Brant’s play Grounded centres on a female fighter pilot who — upon starting a family — is reassigned to piloting drones above the Middle East, killing enemy targets from thousands of miles away in Nevada. Overcoming the inevitable ‘talkiness’ of the monologue format, director Selina Cartmell and actor Clare Dunne inject plenty of dynamism, with Dunne repeatedly racing up and down runway stage, often to the accompaniment of AC/DC.

The story is absorbing and Brant’s imagery — while not subtle — is nevertheless engaging, as when he uses colour to convey the character’s experience of freedom, gender, and ethics. But the play’s gradual lurch toward a corny, sanctimonious crescendo boxes it all up too cosily, despite Dunne’s wonderful performance.