2. : fill in a functional word like a conjunction or a preposition. One square for one word. A sense of ritual ___(1)___ both the text and Caitríona McLaughlin’s elegantly composed and ___(2)___ production. Framed by the glass, Rea’s image is refracted and superimposed on Roddy’s, so we can see both of their ___(3)___ reactions in a single camera shot. tuxedo and ___(5)___ evening shirt – over pajamas – and shoulder-length curly hair, Rea has the ___(7)___ of a Stuart monarch in old age. In the background is the Gate’s empty auditorium, chandeliers gleaming in Paul Keogan’s lighting, ___(8)___ theatrical memories. A singer or entertainer his youth – or was he? – the father’s interaction with his daughter becomes a performance both know their lines, as she feeds him cues for verbal___(11)___ and familiar routines. Singing is central to the content of their conversation, too, as he ___(12)___ on his imagined past as a Eurovision contestant, testing her patience, and sometimes ours. 

       there is a studied ___(14)___to the text’s wordplay and duet structure, the two beautifully nuanced performances convey depths of feeling. the camera moving into closeup, Rea is___(16)___ as his eyes register minute flickers of recollection and fleeting thoughts. Initially ___(17)___ herself to maintain ironic distance, the daughter’s composure cracks from time to time under the ___(18)___ of paying attention to his mood ___(19)___: from childlike playfulness bitter rage against her for passing “a death sentence” him. 

      Concentrating on tone and image a dramatic twist or a resolution, this sensitive portrait of a condition and a relationship has the ___(23)___ of emotional truth.