Acting up! Popular drama group return with comedy
Curtain up this weekend
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Prof Gerry Boyle (front) in his role as producer of Rearcross Drama Group’s production of ‘Drama at Inish’ in the stage set with cast members, Declan Quigley, Martin Murphy, Nancy Caplis, Cáit Hamersley, Tommy Dwyer, Liz Hickey, Orla Hamersley, Aaron McMahon, Pat McLoughlin, Siobhán Corcoran, Michael Corcoran, and Joan Corcoran.Image 2 of 3
Pat McLoughlin and Nancy Caplis in a scene from Rearcross Drama Group’s production of ‘Drama at Inish’.Image 3 of 3
In a scene from ‘Drama at Inish’, Prof Gerry Boyle and Joan Corcoran.Most of a century after it was first produced, a full length comedy by the prolific author and playwright, Lennox Robinson, credited with the revival of the Abbey Theatre in 1919, comes to a local stage with a star-studded cast this weekend.
The story of how the dull routine life in a small rural town is plunged into chaos as a series of ‘strange’ behaviours engulfed a community engaged in production of a play, is central to the three act comedy ‘Drama at Inish’, which opens at Rearcross Community Hall on this Saturday night, March 9.
One of the most successful plays of the late Lennox Robinson, it is set to entertain and thrill in equal proportions through another superb production by the capable cast of Rearcross Drama Group.
Combining producer with a character role on stage, Prof Gerry Boyle, a ‘master’ of drama, has brought together a large cast of 13, introducing three newcomers to the stage.
Making their stage debut showing plenty of talent for their first season behind the lights are Liz Hickey in the role of hotelier John Twohig's wife Annie; Cáit Hammersley, who plays a hotel waitress, and Orla Hammersley, an officer of the law.
The family trio of retired school principal, Michael Corcoran, his wife, Joan and their school teacher daughter, Siobhan, are very talented performers who have shone through every production of this group in recent years and are very well casted do so in style once again.
‘Eddie’, the hotelier's son with some very strange ways, played by Declan Quigley, blossoms in his expressions of romance for ‘Christine Lambert’, ably played by Siobhán Corcoran.
Aaron McMahon as the hotel cook and Pat McLoughlin, who plays ‘De la Meres’ and his wife, played by Nancy Caplis, the proprietors of the visiting theatre company, are superb throughout their challenging roles.
They plan to put on plays by Chekhov, Ibsen and Strindberg to improve the minds of the townspeople.
The intellectual quality of the plays leads to problems at the hotel and the theatre company are asked to leave.
As the local TD, played by Tommy Dwyer, votes against his party to collapse the government, reports of criminality add to the host of strange happenings in the quiet town, attracting interest of the Dublin media to uncover the ‘secret’ of the goings-on, which falls to the role of Prof Gerry Boyle as the visiting journalist.
Gerry, with drama running in his veins, is impressive in whatever character role he plays, while Martin Murphy of many great performances over the years, completes this cast as an inspector tracking trails on the use of some poisonous substances in the area.
The play runs over three acts, with two scenes in the second act and is backed by a very well presented stage set as everything from costuming to make up takes shape for a run of five nights over the next two weekends.
Its curtains up on the 2024 Rearcross Drama Group production at the Community Hall on this Saturday and Sunday nights, March 9 and 10, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 15, 16, and 17. So sit back and enjoy another feast of drama at its very best.