IF recently on Shop Street, or anywhere in the city centre, you happened to see some guys chasing a goat, schoolboys staggering around drunk, or blood-soaked men skulking up back alleys, fear not, Galway has not become the new Sodom and Gomorrah.
The wild antics and outrageous behaviour you may have witnessed are part of Houdini’s Great Escape, the pilot episode of a TV version of Who Needs Enemies? the uproarious comedy by local writer Conor Montague.
The play was premiered in 2010 and last year saw a revival and the premiere of a sequel, and both Who Needs Enemies? I and II proved a hit with Galway theatre audiences. The show has now been adapted for screen and is the first television sitcom to be based in Galway.
In Houdini’s Great Escape, Eoin Hancock, the hapless and beleaguered hero of Who Needs Enemies? I and II, treats himself to a well-earned day off. However, his day is ruined when a cocaine-filled goat comes crashing through his window, and he and his ‘friends’ Houdini, Bottle, Raymo, Ten-Spot, and Gonz have to keep the goat, and themselves, out of the reach of Detective Pat McCann, a local drugs squad officer who takes a special interest in the group.
The cast of Houdini’s Great Escape includes Rod Goodall, John Donnellan, Ciara Brady, Maeve McGrath, John O’Dowd, Ray Kelly, Réidín Ní Thuma, Mark Dooley, Niamh Shiggins, Richard Walsh, and Karen McConnell. It is directed by Joe Hrehorow of Treelight pictures and produced by Liam Harkin and Colm Higgins.
“The series will be dark, twisted, and edgy, seeking to exploit Galway’s seedy underbelly for comedic effect by depicting the intertwined lives of an eclectic group of twisted local characters,” says Conor Montague.
“Brought together by a common affiliation to Galway’s party scene, the concerns of this diverse group include cocaine smuggling, human trafficking, politics, prostitution, academia, and horticulture.”
Montague says the complexity of the characters ensures “an ever-mutating and unpredictable group dynamic” that will render “almost any situation, no matter how improbable, believable to the viewer”.
Conor also points out that the series was “fortunate enough to secure the services of many talented people” who were willing to waive their fees until Who Needs Enemies? secures a commission. Forty-six people worked on Houdini’s Great Escape.
However, it was not possible to make the show entirely free of charge and those behind the programme will be holding a fundraising drive to ensure those costs are met.
The total cost of the production is €12,000 and those involved in Houdini’s Great Escape have €6,000, which, coupled with negotiating credit periods with a number of equipment suppliers, has enabled them to complete both the intensive eight-day shoot for the programme and pre-production. The remaining €6,000 must be raised by February 24 and will go towards paying for equipment hire and completing post-production.
“Houdini’s Great Escape may well be unique in the world of television as it will be the first sitcom pilot funded completely by the local community,” says Conor. “Galway city is the dominant character in the series, and all of the other characters are shaped to varying degrees by the diversity and the interconnectedness of the town. That’s not to say that the people of Galway will be proud of our content, but we are confident that they will get a laugh out of it.”
Members of the public, businesses, or organisations which would like to donate and/or support the fundraising for Houdini’s Great Escape, and learn of the rewards attached to same, should log onto www.fundit.ie You can also support the cause through attending The Greatest Table Quiz In The World Ever (On Ice ) 2 in the Róisín Dubh on Sunday February 12 at 8pm. A table of four costs €40. For more information see www.roisindubh.net There will also be a private screening of Houdini’s Great Escape at the Róisín Dubh on Saturday February 25 at 8pm to which all contributors will be invited, followed by a party at which you can meet the cast and crew. For more information see www.fundit.ie
