Michelle Dooley Mahon

“A deeply moving testament to the power of emotional resilience, The Scourge is a captivating tribute to the human spirit, and Mahon is an international treasure.
The most common definition of scourge people will know today is “a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering.” So, of course, in the context of Mahon’s story, Alzheimer’s disease is obviously, and very definitely, a scourge. The irony, however, is that throughout the piece Mahon refers to herself as a scourge. As her monologue unfolds, the reason for this becomes clear: Mahon is a troublemaker of the first order and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Whip-smart with a sly sense of humor, she would be right at home at any dinner party and there’s no doubt she would know exactly what to do if you had a body of which you needed to dispose.
But Alzheimer’s disease and the slow, cruel loss of her beloved mother Siobhan, knocks Mahon down for the count and it takes years, seven years to be exact, for her to fight her way back to the human race. In the 85-minute The Scourge, her laser-like observations about the healthcare system, long-term disability facilities, and her families response to their mother’s illness have a biting poignancy which are distilled through Mahon’s own life-tested personality.
Simply directed by Ben Barnes, the former artistic director of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, The Scourge and Mahon benefit tremendously from the intimacy of the Irish Rep’s W. Scott McLucas Studio space. Mahon’s voice seldom rises above a mezzo forte and she frequently delivers entire passages in a voice barely louder than a whisper. But she doesn’t need volume to make her point. It’s with her words that she heals herself and, by extension, she heals us too.”

– David Hurst, Talkin‘ Broadway

“…. Beautifully written and deeply personal…. Filled with rich imagery and luscious turns of Irish phrase”

– Theatre Mania.

“Each line of the play packs a powerful emotional and literary punch, and they collectively weave a tapestry depicting a woman of unstinting bravery in the face of her worst fears. The Scourge is also a raw but moving tribute to Ms. Mahon’s mother and her less than ideal life. It’s not always a pretty picture, but it’s a worthwhile ride and an authentic preview of what’s likely in store for most of us.”

– Interludes  – Viewpoints on The Scourge

“Michelle Dooley Mahon is delightful, sad, funny, heroic and prophetic in a performance that moves and inspires us to be much more aware of the positives in grief.”

– New York Irish Arts

“The Scourge is a rich stew of many parts and each morsel is a distinct flavor bursting with the kind of self-truth and self-reflection that is universal to life. Michelle’s telling of her tale makes a banquet of story and a buffet of observation so that you’ll leave the theater satiated and carrying a huge bag of leftovers that will feed you in some form the rest of your life.”

– The Front Row Center

“The Scourge” is no less than a paean to her beloved mother, and the piece is rich with feeling, with a text that is often lyrical and even poetic. The striking looking Michelle Dooley Mahon strongly holds stage for the presentation.”

– The Epoch Times

“I had to close my eyes to listen to the lilting cadences of the language”

– Niall Cranny – Stage Director, An Gríanán Theatre

“… moved and almost overcome by the humanity, hilarity and heart rending of The Scourge … raised me up and plunged me down on an emotional rollercoaster.”

– Liam Murphy, Munster Express

“Mother Courage….a characteristic blend of wit and wicked powers of observation, and all delivered in a language that is at times quite poetic … a stimulating mix of a heart-aching sadness, anger, and despair, all tempered again by her indomitable humour…not just a magnificent local work but one that will resonate nationally and internationally too.”

– Jackie Hayden, Arts review

“… hugely courageous performance. This is flesh and blood writing, sentient and animate, rooted in grief. And as Dooley Mahon knows only two well, grief has two acts: loss, followed by the remaking of a life.”

– Tom Mooney, The Rest is Jazz blog, Arts Review

“Raw, witty and poetic, Michelle Dooley Mahon’s ‘The Scourge’ had a huge impact.”

– Anna Hayes, Wexford People/Gorey Guardian/Independent.ie