SELIKE THEATRE presents James McLure’s Pink Thunderbird at the Town Hall Studio Theatre, from Wednesday March 25 to Saturday March 28 at 8.30pm.
Pink Thunderbird comprises two terrific black comedies - Laundry And Bourbon and Lone Star - both directed by George B Miller. Together the two one-acts give a picture of life in the one-horse town of Maynard, Texas, in 1974, where the women get drunk during the day and the men get drunk at night.
These black comedies depict the effects of the Vietnam War on those who went and those who stayed home.
In Laundry And Bourbon we meet Elizabeth and Hattie, sitting on Elizabeth’s front porch, sipping bourbon, folding laundry, laughing, crying, and chit-chatting in the heat. Things then take a twist when the catty Amy Lee shows up with a juicy piece of gossip.
Lone Star portrays the women’s menfolk; Elizabeth’s husband Roy is drinking himself into a stupor outside Angel’s Bar while trying to deal with his life since he came back from Vietnam. With him is his wry brother Ray and Amy Lee’s husband, the nerdy Cletis.
Roy and Ray commiserate over Baby Ruths and a case of Lone Star beer, telling tall tales of wild times in Roy’s true love, his Pink Thunderbird convertible. The wives’ and husbands’ stories intertwine for a hilarious, poignant, and unforgettable evening.
“Roy’s love of his Pink Thunderbird is a symbol of him trying to hold on to the past,” observes director George B Miller. “You also have Elizabeth who is trying to hold on to her love for Roy for dear life even as their marriage comes under strain.
“The plays let us eavesdrop on these very human relationships in a very affecting way. They also have this wonderful, salty, comic banter which gives them a lot of colour and brings that small-town Texas setting to life.”
Miller originally directed Pink Thunderbird last December under the aegis of Alâ Community Theatre, using actors he has been training for the past three years and this Selkie revival features substantially the same cast.
“With Alâ we have been training actors to be able to go and work and perform in the local arts community,” he said. “I think this production is a prime example of how well the scheme has worked, these cast members have developed into well-disciplined, good actors.”
Pink Thunderbird features Tom Dooley, Ger Fallon, and Michael King in Lone Star; Ann Kavanagh, Cabrini McDaid, and Lisa Daly in Laundry And Bourbon.
Tickets are €12/10 and are available at the Town Hall box office on 091 - 569777 or through www.townhalltheatregalway.com
