Latest news with #KevinBarry
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Katy Hayes: Tommy Tiernan is terrific but fine acting doesn't paper over uneasiness of play about rural eejits
Kevin Barry's new play is a study in washed-up rural Irish masculinity. Brothers Archie and Bopper McCrea feel familiar; they remind us of the no-hope wretches that inhabit the plays of Marina Carr or Martin McDonagh.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Cave review – dark-humoured tale of brothers' emotional descent
The hapless McRae brothers, Archie (Tommy Tiernan) and Bopper (Aaron Monaghan), are the kind of comically shifty characters who might have made a four-line appearance in one of Kevin Barry's novels. In the acclaimed author's new play they have central roles, in a remote Sligo setting where they are sleeping rough in eerie caves on the outskirts of a town. Homeless and unwelcome in the area, these two have hit middle age and are lost, in ways they can't acknowledge. Frustrated with each other, yet unable to separate or to leave, even when threatened with arrest, the brothers' mutually dependent predicament has echoes of Beckett and Enda Walsh. Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West hovers in the background too – although Barry's take on rural dysfunction contains less violence and a lot more depression. Here the pair's escapism comes in online form, through the stolen smartphones and laptops that are scattered around designer Joanna Parker's imposingly abstract, almost lunar landscape setting. As they grapple with parts of a broken-down van, tyres, ladders and junk, they desperately attempt to get an internet connection to check the latest updates from a Mexican actress with whom Bopper is obsessed to the point of losing grip on reality. In Caitríona McLaughlin's production, the brothers' comic double-act is given full rein, with Monaghan bringing knockabout physical energy to the anguished Bopper, while Tiernan's background in standup comedy allows Archie to be a more deadpan foil. Stretched over 13 scenes, each announced with a surtitle – 'Scene 10, The Descent of Man' – the play at times seems like a series of gags, sketches and one-liners, treating the pair's physical and mental deterioration with a familiar black humour that lacks some emotional underpinning. The local garda sergeant, Helen, whose connection to the pair is not immediately revealed, is an underwritten role, with which Judith Roddy does her wry best. It takes an explanatory epilogue from Helen to fill in some of the gaps. Her police statement adds a layer of reflective poignancy that earlier came only in snatches, as when Archie wonders about their cave-dwelling ancestors and they briefly contemplate 'the purpose of the brothers McRae'. At Abbey theatre, Dublin, until 18 July; then at Town Hall theatre, Galway, 22-26 July
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Katy Hayes: Fine acting doesn't paper over heartlessness of play about rural eejits
Kevin Barry's new play is a study in washed-up rural Irish masculinity. Brothers Archie and Bopper McCrea feel familiar; they remind us of the no-hope wretches that inhabit the plays of Marina Carr or Martin McDonagh.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Cave review: Tommy Tiernan is perfectly cast as a downtrodden barroom philosopher in Kevin Barry's bleakly funny play
The Cave Abbey Theatre, Dublin ★★★★☆ You are not going to get away with calling your play The Cave – particularly if your characters are actually confined in such a space – without audiences wondering about Plato's most famous allegory. The Greek wondered what we would know of the world if all we saw were shadows flickering on the wall of a rocky cavity. Archie and Bopper, depressed Irish siblings, have more than that. They have a smartphone. The former climbs a ladder and waves the device at the heavens in often-futile search for 'coverage'. Their particular interest is a celebrity named Elvira and her frustrating association with 'the Irish actor Con Costello' (a man they despise). Do they really learn any more about Elvira than they would if they saw only her shadow? The lying PR wonks who haunt Instagram were, after all, nowhere in Plato's story. Right? Kevin Barry 's bleakly funny new play for the Abbey is not about the internet. But no piece so concerned with our habitual flight from reality can ignore that engulfing phenomenon. The singular writer, as busy a dramatist as he is a novelist, came up with idea while pacing the Caves of Keash, near his home in Co Sligo. Joanna Parker's set design gives us a huge grey outcrop – like a giant crumpled tissue – fronted by a shallow opening from which emerge stolen tools, wheelchairs and drinks trolleys. READ MORE Archie, as played by Tommy Tiernan , is curious and vulnerable but not yet lost to despair. Bopper, given hunched reality by Aaron Monaghan , is a more troubled fellow. He yearns for a perfect moment in 1995. He fixates on the loss of his testicle. Archie worries he may do something silly. There is no escaping comparisons with the first act of Waiting for Godot. Like Samuel Beckett's Vladimir and Estragon, the two men worry over matters of existential importance, but we get more sense here of the characters' place in wider society. After a few early confrontations, we learn that Helen ( Judith Roddy ), the poor garda tasked with warning them about antisocial behaviour, is their long-suffering sister. Halfway through it seems as if the apparently inseparable pair may actually get to live apart for a spell. One can scarcely imagine that of Beckett's duo. Directed with discipline and clarity by Caitríona McLaughlin , the three actors slip comfortably into well-fitting skins. Tiernan could hardly be better suited for a downtrodden barroom philosopher. Monaghan keeps the rage at an impressive simmer throughout. Roddy gives early hints that Helen may not be quite so reliably 'sensible' as she at first seems. Presented, a little like a Wes Anderson film, in 13 chapters – each titled in voiceover and overhead projection – The Cave is a little short on overarching structure, but it compensates with a nagging commitment to themes of psychological evasion. Too many of us, like Archie and Bopper, are perched at a metaphorical distance from the rest of society, finding ways to distracts ourselves from pain, responsibility and the inevitability of death. Maybe The Cave is a play about the internet. The Cave is at the Abbey Theatre , Dublin, until Friday, July 18th
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Win a golden ticket to the Abbey Theatre, the National Theatre of Ireland.
The National Theatre of Stories - a celebration of epic Irish storytelling is at the heart of the Abbey Theatre's artistic programme for 2025. The National Theatre of Ireland will feature the best of new Irish playwriting, with six world premieres from playwrights Kevin Barry, Barbara Bergin, Marina Carr, Carys D. Coburn, Caitríona Daly and Jimmy McAleavey set for the Abbey and Peacock Stages. The six playwrights represent an assortment of the most thrilling voices in Irish playwriting today. The six plays are: The Cave , written by Kevin Barry and directed by Caitríona McLaughlin: June 6th to July 18th on the Abbey Stage. Static , written by Jimmy McAleavey and directed by John King: June 20th to July 18th on the Peacock Stage. The Lunch Punch Power Hour in Conference Room 4 , written by Caitríona Daly and directed by Raymond Keane: July 31st to September 6th on the Peacock Stage. The Boy , written by Marina Carr and directed by Caitríona McLaughlin: September 15th to November 1st on the Abbey Stage. BÁN , written by Carys D. Coburn and directed by Claire O'Reilly: September 30th to November 8th on the Peacock Stage. Dublin Gothic , written by Barbara Bergin and directed by Caroline Byrne: November 21st to January 31st, 2025 on the Abbey Stage. Learn more about these six plays and see what else is on at your national theatre here . For your chance to win, simply fill in the form below. Good luck! Terms & Condition The promotion is open to residents of Ireland aged 18 years or over except employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the promotion. A valid entry consists of a correct answer entered in the form above, accompanied by the entrant's name, email address and a phone number. No applications from agents, third parties, organised groups or applications automatically generated by computer will be accepted. No incomplete, illegible, or corrupted entries will be accepted. No entries not in accordance with the entry instructions will be accepted. The Promotion will run from 23/05/2025 to midnight on 08/06/2025 inclusive. All entries must be received by the Promoter by no later than midnight on the Closing Date. All competition entries received after the Closing Date are automatically disqualified. Promotion limited to one entry per person. No entrant will win more than one prize. By submitting an entry to the Promoter, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions. It is the responsibility of You, the entrant, to provide correct, up-to-date details when entering the promotion and on acceptance of the prize. The Promoter cannot be held responsible for winners failing to supply accurate information which affects prize acceptance or delivery of their prize Responsibility will not be accepted for entries lost, damaged, delayed or prevented as a result of any event beyond the Promoter's control including, but not limited to, user error and any network, computer, hardware or software failures of any kind.. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. Entries will become the property of the Promoter. The prize is two tickets to each Abbey Theatre world premiere production scheduled for 2025 including: The Cave by Kevin Barry, Static by Jimmy McAleavey, The Lunch Punch Power Hour in Conference Room 4 by Caitríona Daly, The Boy by Marina Carr, Bán by Carys D. Coburn and Dublin Gothic by Barbara Bergin. There will be one winner. All prizes will be subject to any additional terms and conditions of the supplier of the prize to the Promoter. This prize is valid for 12 months from date of issue, is subject to availability and cannot be refunded or redeemed for cash. The Promoter shall not be liable for any loss, including, without limitation, indirect, special or consequential loss, or loss of profits, damage or consequential damage of any nature in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise caused by the acceptance of the terms and conditions or in connection with the prize, save for any liability which cannot be excluded by law. In the event of unforeseen circumstances the Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for an alternative of equal or greater value. The winners will be notified by email. The winner must claim the prize within 30 days of the notification. If the prize is unclaimed after this time, it will lapse and the Promoter reserves the right to offer the unclaimed prize to a substitute winner selected in accordance with the Promotion rules. Where a winner has successfully claimed the prize, the Promoter shall dispatch, or arrange to dispatch, the prize to the winner at the earliest opportunity. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall be interpreted as placing an obligation on the Promoter to dispatch, or arrange to dispatch, the prize within a specified period of time. The Promoters' decision is final and binding in all matters and no correspondence will be entered into. The winners' details (name and county) will be made available on The Irish Times website. The winner may be required to participate in unpaid publicity arising from this promotion. The Promoter will only process your personal information as set out in and as set out in these terms and conditions. Prizes are non transferrable and cannot be exchanged for cash. These terms and conditions shall be governed by Irish law and the Courts of the Republic of Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction. Promoter and Data Controller: The Irish Times DAC, The Irish Times Building, P.O. Box 74, 24 - 28 Tara Street, Dublin 2. The Promoter reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel or amend the Promotion where it becomes necessary to do so.
