Sarah Gordon, 'A Sinkhole in Guatemala': Fair Trade

A vital environmental message so covert, you might miss it.

The New Theatre, Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival

Sep 21-24

A quick review of A Sinkhole in Guatemala by Sarah Gordon coming up after the jump ...

Cadence Theatre, 'One Is Not Oneself': Why Must The Show Go On?

A couple grieve their son’s death in this Noël Coward-inspired drama. 

The New Theatre

Feb 4-14

My review of One Is Not Oneself by Gerard Lee coming up just as soon as the orchestra has an extraordinarily small repertoire ...

Cyclamen Productions, 'Fireplay': Friendship Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

Can James Ireland's tragedy find its spark?

The New Theatre

Jan 5-10

My review of Fireplay by James Ireland coming up just as soon as I play a game of Beggar-My-Neighbour ...

ORion Productions, 'The Motherfucker with the Hat': Your, Whaddyacallit, World View

New York is a high octane and revelatory trip in Stephen Adly Guirgis's comedy. What's the point of getting sober? Photo: Táine King. 

The New Theatre
Dec 3-20


My review of The Motherfucker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis coming up just as soon as I give you a small fuzzy bear that grips and shit ...

Anam Theatre, 'Low Level Panic': Everyday Sexism

Claire McIntyre's Low Level Panic debuted in 1988. Anam's production has us consider how sexism has changed since.

The New Theatre

Jul 15-19

I don't have time to do a full review of Low Level Panic.


Debuted in 1988, British playwright Clare McIntyre's play is set in a bathroom where three women consider the omnipresence of pornography and female objectification they feel in their lives.

From the moment the male stagehands dismantle Róisín O'Toole's artful set, Justin Martin's staging never lets up a domineering gaze onto these women's lives. The sexually-infatuated Jo (Eimear Kilmartin) initially seems empowered but eventually succumbs to weight pressures and scrutinises her body. More traumatised is Mary (Sarah O'Toole), who still reels from a sexual assault from her past. Most composed is Celia (Aoife Martyn) but as she rushes to answer the door to an impatient beau, you'd wonder if she is about to stumble into danger.

Anam's production is laden with modern references, making concentrated use of smart phones and references to last year's 'Slane Girl' controversy.

It has its bad habits. Martin's direction can be fussy (overcrowding the stage with 18 actors at one point). Kilmartin swaggers like a comedienne and sometimes her affect is hammy, while Sarah O'Toole's considered turn doesn't fully chart her character's psychological damage.

However, it's a gutsy and political move by O'Toole's Anam company, with moments that are disarming. After a smutty exchange about nudity and sex, the naturalism of the scene melts away with a type of  Michael Chekov-inspired movement that illustrates two women's inner selves. Despite societal grievances, the truth is they are beautiful.


What did everybody else think?

Richard Ryan Promotions & Hint of Lime Productions, 'Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London'

Living her last days during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the only world Eleanor Roosevelt has known was one on the brink. She'll never know that she played own part in tipping the scales. 

The New Theatre

May 19-31

My review of Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London by Alison Skilbeck coming up just as soon as my mouth and my teeth have no future ...

The New Theatre, 'The Assassination of Brian Boru': Who's Good Enough for Clontarf?

While the historicity of accounts describing the Battle of Clontarf has been in dispute for 75 years, it is widely accepted that Danish brothers Ospak and Brodir were involved in events leading to Boru's death. Photo: Al Craig.

The New Theatre

Apr 15-19

My review of The Assassination of Brian Boru by Lauren Shannon-Jones coming up just as soon I never tire of my brother's stories ...