The Atheist review, The Lion & Unicorn

Sod botherer

The Atheist, a rich and intense monologue, is the tale of a US journalist with dubious credentials. Augustine Early's narrative begins with a strategic arson at the age of 12 and processes with humour and energy to his arrival as a young man in the offices of the local newspaper. Early's mission is to find the exclusive story that will make his name. Having rejected God early on, he tells us, he has no pretensions about the existence of a soul. He is free to do as  he pleases in order to succeed in life.

Shortly after he gets the job, big-breasted Jenny, a would-be actress with a wondrous line in bedroom entertainment, enters his life and his heart. Early discovers love is a form of faith, and is on the verge of succumbing to common dreams of settling down, buying a house and having children, when the discovery of a hidden camera in Jenny's bathroom changes everything. 

Ronan Noone's play suggests much of journalism is venal. That writers will break rules for a good headline. Early is certainly driven by his instinct for, and love of, stories. A natural raconteur with detective skills, he exposes his inner workings to us with the same fearlessness and eye for detail that has him exposing others. This is a man without loyalty or morality, but when both hunter and hunted are soiled, it's much harder to say where the line should be drawn on intrusion. 

Conclusion: Jonathan Chambers is compelling as Early, maintaining bounce and pace with only a keyboard for a prop. Directed by Hugh Ross, the piece is unexpectedly objective, and pushes the viewer into reframing old arguments.

References
Lion & Unicorn, tickets