Arthur Riordan and Des Bishop's new play tells the story of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin from the perspective of two opium addicts in the then-suburban area of Rathmines. Overall, the play has the structure of a farce, but this battles against other comedic instincts: the double act and contemporary social commentary.
David (Riordan) and Sean (Tadhg Murphy) are armchair supporters of the rebels, but are so caught up in their pursuit of a high that they never manage to get out of the house and into the battle. There are many laughs and some high-quality repartee as the pair trick their posh neighbour into helping them solve their drugs supply problem, encounter a pretty revolutionary, Síle, and struggle to convince the local British Army captain that they are not on the dissident side.
All this effectively satirises our tendency to romanticise revolutionary struggles and reminds us that the rebels were, at this stage in history, a failing, minority concern. The point resonates today, but otherwise the play's connections between historic and contemporary concerns are fuzzy, sometimes troubling. An exchange likening republicanism to addiction does not entirely quell the unease caused by turning drug abuse into a joking (and middle-class) matter.
The production is classily put together; director Jimmy Fay does yeoman work in establishing and maintaining a frothy comic pace, and the actors are excellent. But the playwrights do not have the form to contain their multiple impulses.
· Until October 29. Box office: 353 1 679 5720.
