TEA IN A CHINA CUP by CHRISTINA REID directed by DAN GORDON at the LYRIC THEATRE on the 6th of MAY 2026

 

TEA IN A CHINA CUP by CHRISTINA REID directed by DAN GORDON at the LYRIC THEATRE on the 6th of MAY 2026


Amy Molloy as Beth - Tea in a China Cup

 The Lyric theatre’s new production of Tea in a China Cup by Cristina Reid is a revival of the 1983 production first presented at the Belfast Festival.

Mary Moulds as Sarah and Amy Molloy as Beth - Tea in a China Cup


The backdrop to the first scene is a dark tenement row indicative of hopelessness, depression and death.  Perspectival lines seem skewed and offset, the mise en scene owes something to the expressionist tradition.  The sound design consists of traditional Belfast songs and tunes as well as rumbustious orange standards such as The Sash.  The playwright is located in this working-class milieu yet also directs the audience’s attention to other possibilities.

The play is rooted in the experiences of working-class women as they experience the turbulence of WW2 and extends through to the beginning of the Troubles.  Costumes and décor are strongly rooted in the period; there’s no attempt at anachronism.  This saga deals with stereotypes, typical attitudes and the standard dilemmas that women face such as their first period, first boyfriend, finding a husband, relationships with family and friends depicted in relationship to sectarianism, class and nation.

The narrative is built around the friendship between Protestant Beth (played by Amy Molloy) and Catholic Theresa (played by Louise Parker).  The older generation represented by Beth’s grandmother (played by Marie Jones) and great aunt Maisie (played by Katie Tumelty) represent hardcore sectarian attitudes, bristling at successful Catholics like the Duffy’s and their daughter Theresa who gets the job in the Civil Service that they feel Beth deserves.  Sometimes these characters feel more like stereotypes, representative of attitudes and prejudices rather than the living, breathing personalities they ought to be.  However, Beth’s mother Sarah (played by Mary Moulds) is a more sympathetic, more sharply realised type.

Superstition is clearly still an everyday reality as the family visit a fortune teller to find out about the fate of their son, wounded in action in France in the early part of WW2.  Folklore, local legends and myth mingle with the irrational stupor of sectarianism to concoct social forces that are constantly engaged with the rational, scientific processes and economic truths that surround the characters. 

The play goes right up to the Troubles period as the family are threatened by an IRA thug and then rescued by a British army squaddie.  They are determined to stay put, not to be burned out or threatened, and it seems that remaining loyal to their Protestant roots and communal obligations will probably be enough.

Tea in a China Cup is a notable revival, well worth visiting for a glimpse into the way things were (and probably still are).

 

Paul Murphy, Lyric Theatre, May 2026

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