After the success of Accidental Death Of An Anarchist in December, Devious Theatre are following it up with the next instalment of their Dario Fo Season, Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!. The play was written by the Nobel Prize winning playwright in 1974 after he became inspired by the self reduction movement which saw working class Italian women take what they wanted from supermarkets only paying for what they could afford.
This play saw Fo tackling issues of inflation, unemployment, worker’s strikes and union interference, once more tied up in the framework of a wild, slapstick comedy. Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Tells the story of two working class women, Antonia and Margherita, who are frustrated by rising prices and struggling to make ends meet. Along with the other women in their neighbourhood, they decide to rebel against the cost of living by taking goods without paying. However, hiding the shoplifting spree from their husbands and the pursuing authorities might prove a little trickier than expected. The cast includes Angela Barrett, Ross Costigan, Hazel Fahy, Ken McGuire and David Thompson. The production is directed by John Morton who previously directed Accidental Death Of An Anarchist and Trainspotting for Devious Theatre. Like their production of Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, they will be exploring the themes of Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Through the prism of modern Irish life, drawing on the themes of unemployment, strikes, union interference and the dire situations we currently find ourselves in. This madcap marital meltdown from Italy’s maestro of farce is currently on the stage of the Set Theatre, John Street, Kilkenny until this Sunday, March 14 at 8pm nightly. Tickets can be bought in Rollercoaster Records, Kieran Street, or at the Set Theatre, John Street with bookings on 056 – 7765133. Tickets can also be booked online through www.devioustheatre.com
