Curiosity at the Theatre

In fancy black dresses and high heels a group of American college students who have never seen a play before enter the Gate Theatre to experience this first-hand opportunity in Dublin, Ireland. The Gate Theatre has been artistically and architecturally a landmark building for over 200 years. The Gate was established as a theatre in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir.

Seeing a play for the first time is like walking into a surprise party. The party began when we walked in and saw ladies in dresses and men in suits. Everything was very fancy and there was nothing out of place. Smiling faces greeted us as we entered the large theatre room to see a big red transparent curtain that said the name of the play The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. Sitting in the fourth row I was excited because I was going to be very close to the actors performing in the play.

The main character Nell Trent lives with her grandfather in his London shop, a magical place with old treasures. The story revolves around her grandfather’s bad gambling habits and when the evil Quilp, his friend, becomes interested in Nell, the mood in the story turns troublesome. Nell is a very sweet girl who has a strong relationship with many characters in the story and in very beautiful. She and her grandfather manage to escape but Quilp and some others from the town including Kit, who enjoys Nell’s company, are off to search in the deep and foggy woods and the poverty struck streets to bring them back to their London town.

Nell becomes ill during their journey where word of mouth from strangers gets back to Quilp and the townspeople to find out where they are. One night after Nell’s grandfather was fast asleep Nell was taking a walk in the woods and ran into Quilp on a bridge. Kit was not far behind but by the time he got there it was too late. Running into Kit’s arms Nell was shot and, to our surprise, immediately killed.

This beloved girl will always be remembered in their hearts and will remain in my heart as the first play experience I’ve ever had in this lovely city of Dublin.