Reviews

National Anthem by Colin Bateman

Reviewed by Kathy Clarke on 20 October 2010 20-30 October, 2010; on tour until 6 November in Baby Grand at the Grand Opera House, Belfast

“A poet is the conscience of a nation”: so rattles off Dessie O’Hare (Miche Doherty), the third rate poet that’s been hired to write Northern Ireland’s new national anthem. Forced together by Stormont authorities in a rush attempt to conceive an anthem in time for a diplomatic...

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Stone Soup by Joe Moylan and Amy Conroy

Reviewed by Derek West on 18 October 2010 17, 18 October 2010 in Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire

This is poor theatre: no real props (unless you count some kitchen utensils and some vegetables), no set (apart from a kitchen table and a sheet), minimal on-off lighting, so it makes significant demands on the actors. They don’t pretend to be puppeteers: they have no puppets. There is no overt...

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Lay Me Down Softly by Billy Roche

Reviewed by Úna Kealy on 16 October 2010 14 - 23 October, 2010 in Wexford Arts Centre

Before the drama begins to unfold in Wexford Arts Centre, Bui Bolg brings the audience into a world of light and shadows by masking the entrance and interior of the performance space with canvas and naked bulbs, creating the candy-striped boxing arena of The Academy Boxing Arena of Delaney’s Travelling...

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The Gingerbread Man by Miriam Lambert, adapted from the fairytale

Reviewed by Siobhán O'Gorman on 15 October 2010 12 – 17 October, 2010 in Druid Lane Theatre, Galway

Through the imaginative use of simple puppets, Miriam Lambert’s rendition of The Gingerbread Man truly invigorates an age-old tale. The show is introduced by her signature characters, Pick and Boo. These very basic puppets are the forefingers of Lambert’s gloved hands, anthropomorphised only...

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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, adapted by Moonfish

Reviewed by Siobhán O'Gorman on 15 October 2010 14-15 October, 2010 in Nuns Island Theatre, Galway

Devised by Moonfish from the children’s book, The Secret Garden brings to life a tale of grief, isolation, companionship and reconciliation. Following the death of her parents, Mary Lennox is sent to live in her Uncle’s home on the moors. With her uncle away travelling, the mansion appears...

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In the Pipeline by Gary Owen

Reviewed by Patrick Brennan on 11 October 2010 11 - 16 October, 2010 in Bewleys Café Theatre

A bare stage of just two chairs positioned across from each other and a vase of flowers is all that greets the audience in Welsh playwright Gary Owen’s In the Pipeline. These three items could be said to represent the trio of characters – Andrew, Dai and Joan – in this warm, understated...

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The Adventures of the Wet Senor by Donal O’Kelly

Reviewed by Donald Mahoney on 08 October 2010 8 Oct - 20 Nov, 2010 in The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton

Towards the end of the 1500s, in Antwerp, retired Spanish conquistador Francisco de Cuellar sat down to write, in letter form, an unbelievable story that happened to be true - of his accidental odyssey across Ireland after the Spanish Armada’s disastrous attack on England, encountering odd people...

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The Mai by Marina Carr

Reviewed by Siobhán O'Gorman on 08 October 2010 5 - 9 October, 2010 in Cork Arts Theatre

First staged in 1994, Marina Carr’s The Mai marks the shift in her oeuvre towards a more mainstream style. This work stages the memories of Millie, the title character’s daughter; the adult Millie narrates the drama performed on stage, but participates in the action as a child, and reconstructs...

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Orphans by Dennis Kelly

Reviewed by Patrick Brennan on 07 October 2010 7 - 30 October, 2010 in Focus Theatre

Orphans tells the tale of Helen and Danny, a young couple trying to make their life and marriage work in spite of the fact that they live in a tough, working class area, adjacent to an estate that is a no-go area. They both have jobs, have a young son and are expecting another child, though, initially...

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The Early Hours by Bernard Field

Reviewed by Siobhán O'Gorman on 06 October 2010 4 - 9 October, 2010 in Town Hall Studio, Galway

Established by Bernard Field, Haw Theatre had its debut production around this time last year with Last Train from Holyhead, written by Field and staring the late Mick Lally. Following this success, the company is back again with another blast of Field’s psychological realism. The Early Hours dramatizes...

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