You’ve been drenched; you’ve been flooded; you’ve been kicked, battered, and depressed by the economic shenanigans. Truly, there has not been much to smile about lately. And Christmas is just around the corner! What you need is a good dose of laughter, administered freely by Athlone Little Theatre’s next show. Don’t miss this great antidote to the winter blues that runs from November 25 to December 1 at the Little Theatre in St Mary’s Place, Athlone. This is their second show in their Diamond Jubilee year and features three one act comedies from the pens of David Tristram, Deirdre Kinahan, and Jim Cartwright.
The first play is Joining the club by David Tristram. A home pregnancy kit confirms that Jenny, a highly successful magazine editor, is pregnant much to her surprise. It’s time to tell her husband Tom, who it seems has some very surprising news of his own. This is a very funny piece with the two characters presenting all the emotions associated with love and life, with hilarious results. The wonderfully talented Mary Johnston plays Jenny with her usual excellent comic timing and the gormless and hapless Tom is played to great comic effect by the highly skilled Ronan Flynn. John McGlynn directs.
Melody by Deirdre Kinahan is a short story of lunch breaks and the possibility of romance and adventure at so simple a location as a bench in a Dublin park. When Mr Kane and Kathleen meet sharing lunch on a park bench, they end up sharing more than their passion for classical music, their ham and cheese sandwiches, some exotic delicacies and massage parlours. These two lonely romantic souls learn to accept their blessings and face the challenge of love. Aileen Holly and Dermot McManus, both well known to Athlone audiences, are a delight to watch as their characters stumble from one side-splitting crisis to another. Harry Smith directs.
The third play Two is Jim Cartwright’s character study of a northern England pub, its eccentric customers, and its warring landlord and wife. It offers a heightened view of a succession of largely sad people, seeking shelter from the miseries of their lives. There is the old woman dropping in for a drink at the end of a gruelling day in which she has coped with her incontinent husband. There is the little old man who still talks to his dead wife, the conning yobbo who will use all means at his disposal to get inside his girlfriend’s purse; there’s the lad the dad forgot on his way out; and, ministering to them all, there is the behind-the-bar couple who row because tonight is the anniversary of an event they cannot bear to discuss. The writing is incredibly sharp and truthful, coupled with exceptional performances by the two actors Ann Hoey and John McGlynn. This is a hilarious and moving play and is guaranteed to touch a nerve. Ollie Hegarty directs.
What more could you ask for in November? You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll go home in high spirits.
For more information and bookings call (090 ) 6474324.
