Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre specialises in dragging ancient myths into the glare of the present. Following Giselle (lyrical) and The Bull (satirical), Michael Keegan-Dolan's company has taken a biblical turn, blending Old and New Testament elements with older heroic myths. For the final part of its Midlands trilogy, co-produced by Dublin theatre festival, the sprawling ensemble form devised by the company - part musical, part soap opera - is stretched to breaking point.
Social comment and metaphor collide on the overcrowded canvas of small- town Ireland, as the arrival of James, a benign stranger, exposes all-too-familiar dysfunction. A series of crudely satirical sketches touches on immigration, exploitation and cynical local politics, with Ireland's precarious property boom suggested by Merle Hensel's skeletal timber set, still under construction in the opening scene.
A Christ-like figure who saves lives and works miracles, James becomes the community's scapegoat, the focus of their desires and fears. Keegan-Dolan takes this scenario to an extreme, creating the misconceived image of a black actor hanging with a noose around his neck, as James is sacrificed in a mock-crucifixion. Emmanuel Obeya makes the best of this impossibly symbolic role, not helped by lyrics such as, "Soon they will wake up to the stink of their lives."
The rest of the cast fares less well, with some uncertain acting and pallid singing. Underusing magnificent dancers Rachel Poirier and Daphne Strothmann, the choreographed sequences seem perfunctory. A surfeit of musical interludes doesn't help convince us that this unfocused mix of genres and disciplines is ready to be associated with the company's "fabulous" name.
· Until October 13. Box office: 003531 677 8899.
