Breandán de Gallaí is a former lead in Riverdance; Gina Boreham is a jazz singer. They come together in Walls Talk to create a shared showcase of memories, overlapping their disciplines and hinting at a tangled, bittersweet past narrative between their two characters. Both performers have a quality to their practices that is utterly beguiling. Boreham’s voice is a velvet whisper, as she softly picks her way across golden-age classics such as ‘I’m A Fool To Want You’ or ‘For All We Know’. There is something understated, mature and intoxicating about the sounds she creates, as if she is pensively living each line through memory.

Similarly, de Gallaí’s dancing, which melds contemporary and Irish dance, has a power and wisdom to it; years of practice channelled into a familiarity that makes it look as natural as walking or thinking. The pairing of jazz with Irish dance is bold and creates something beautiful. That would have been enough for a perfect show: her wondrous voice, his majestic dance. But they have chosen to wrap them in a baffling hodgepodge of fragmented monologues and dialogues, none of which feel well delivered. A more relaxed but coherent framework could have made these wise talents shine brighter. 

Ériu: Walls Talk, Assembly Rooms, until 14 August, 3.35pm; main picture: Declan English.