In the late 18th century, a killer haunted the area around Stoneybatter, his prey young women who worked long hours for the gentry up the Manor in Grangegorman. It was discovered that the culprit was a crippled beggar known as Billy in the Bowl: born without legs, he did his rounds by dragging himself about in, unsurprisingly, a bowl. The district was put under curfew, much to disgust of the folk in the locality, until he was caught.
 
These are not spoilers, because the production of this curious case tells us everything straight out, with no thought to narrative yarn spinning. It is performed in promenade, which amounts to walking to the churchyard in St Michan's, around it, and into the building itself; its costuming reflects its time period, and yet parts of the actor’s monologues feel uncomfortably modern; we are told the story of how the women died, by the ghosts of the women themselves, and then shown the entire story again via shadow puppets.
 
So, not much room for curiosity on the part of the audience. The use of the churchyard is apt, and atmospheric in its way, but the lack of drama in a story that surely has it was odd. Fair play to the large cast, though, for soldiering on in the inclement weather.

Star rating: ★★