Shanghai Repertory Theater is fast gaining a well-deserved reputation as the city’s finest purveyor of high quality drama, and their recent collaboration with Irishtown Productions proves that they are on top of their game. Cork playwright Cónal Creedon’s gritty soliloquy The Cure saw Irish actor Aidan O’Hare command the stage as a man left behind by a racing economy and changing city.

It’s difficult to quantify the effort and talent required to carry off a one-man show, but Aidan O’Hare achieved it with aplomb. From the moment he sauntered onto the stage in his dishevelled suit until the moment the lights went down an hour or so later, he engaged the audience and elicited emotions ranging from sympathy to exasperation. Never did he overplay the character’s drunkenness, nor milk the man’s unfortunate situation.

Moments of bittersweet humor peppered the narrative, including tales of a smarmy old school friend named Mickey who rose up the social ladder. Regular mentions of a priest indicate a darker element in the backstory.

Creedon’s use of language is dizzyingly attractive. He manipulates repetition to great effect, bringing the opening lines back several times in chilling sonata form. As for the staging, the Ke Center’s stark space was the perfect backdrop for a bleak but redemptive piece of drama.

For anyone who missed The Cure but needs a drama fix, SRT is performing Twelfth Night at the Ke Center until April 3rd.