Playwright and performer Donal O’Kelly marks the thirtieth anniversary of the premiere of his play 'Bat The Father Rabbit The Son' by embarking on a nationwide tour this year. As part of this tour, Donal will be bringing 'Bat and Rabbit' to the stage at Roscommon Arts Centre on Wednesday, February13, at 8pm.
First presented by Rough Magic for the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1988, 'Bat' has toured to New York, Chicago, London, Edinburgh, Australia and New Zealand and now it’s back where it first began, on the Irish stage.
Living in Dublin in the 1980s is Rabbit, a self-made haulage magnate. But something’s wrong. He cuts a deal with his underling Keogh to help him find his lost moorings. The quest is hampered by his dead father Bat, Citizen Army volunteer and pawn shop assistant, bubbling up. The struggle between father and son, past and present, imagination and reality, spans Dublin. Their voyage out of Howth and up the River Liffey builds to one of the strongest dramatic conclusions seen on stage.
Discussing how 'Bat' came to be, Donal O’Kelly remarked, “I wrote him as a character based on hundreds I saw in loud pinstripe suits running Dublin in the 80s pretending their success proved no class obstacles existed”.
Written thirty years ago, Bat The Father Rabbit The Son is an explosive exposition of the generation that led us to Boom and Bust is more pertinent than ever.
Described by The Irish Times as “superbly written and performed”, with the Sunday Independent hailing Donal’s performance as “extraordinary”, this is a theatre experience not to be missed. Tickets are on sale now at Roscommon Arts Centre’s box office on 09066 25824 and from roscommonartscentre.ie
