Athlone Little Theatre 's production of Henrik Ibsen's classic, An Enemy of the People, as adapted by Arthur Miller, opens this Thursday, October 8 at 8pm.
For those of you missing the tension and excitement of the All Ireland Drama Festival, this is a welcome shot in the arm. Far from being the dull and weighty piece you may imagine from the title, this is an energy-filled and riveting play, as relevant today as when it was written. Indeed, centred around the theme of water quality and the politics of payment , it is highly topical!
Frank O'Brien is a force to be reckoned with in his characterisation of the driven central figure of Dr Thomas Stockmann. Pitted against him is the town's mayor, his brother Peter Stockmann, played with equal vigour by Paul Gill.
There is enough humour to lighten the tension, much of it provided by Sean O Laoide as the doctor's father-in-law and Paul Breen, the publisher of the local newspaper, with his inflated sense of importance.
As was the norm, the women play a lesser role, but Sally Knight and Aideen Egan as the doctor's wife and daughter, are as spirited as the times allow.
For director Mel O'Flynn, who has long hoped to stage this play, the Arthur Miller adaptation allowed her to bring to life a production not weighed down with somewhat archaic language. Geoffrey Boles is responsible for the set design, which means that it will be nothing less than stunning.
An Enemy of the People will run nightly at 8pm from October 8-16 at Athlone Little Theatre, St Mary's Place, Athlone. For online bookings see www.athlonelittletheatre.ie or phone (090 ) 6474324.
