North Atlantic Skyline - - Photographs from the west of Ireland (Galway, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Roscommon and even Leitrim)

Prince of Denmark

The Arts Festival kicked off last night, and I went to see Electric Bridget's Prince of Denmark. Yes, it's a spoof of Hamlet, transposed to a dilapidated hotel where the owner has died mysteriously, his sister-in-law has moved in (in every sense) and his effete, poetry-spouting son must avenge his death. Throw in Rosencratz and Guildenstern as a pair of hoovering gossips, a mucksavage Laertes and a thick-as-a-plank Ophelia, and there you have it. All the parts are played by the two actresses that make up Electric Bridget (Helen Gregg and Eileen Gibbons) and another actor (sorry, don't know his name), and I can heartily recommend it. The play doesn't set out to be anything other than a laugh-ou-loud crowd pleaser, and in that, it succeeds magnificently. The performances are top-notch, the comic timing and slightly over the top performances are brilliant, and it's a greatway to kick off the festival, particularly on a drizzly and cold July evening. I don't know if there are any tickets left, but it plays all week in the Town Hall Studio (not the biggest of venues).