PROBABLY Limerick’s oldest drama company, The College Players stumble back from the wilderness for Conor McPherson’s tale of The Seafarer. Running at Belltable Arts Centre, an experienced all-male cast (“hard-living gentlemen, if that’s the word for them,” says director Mike Finneran of their fictitious roles) plays out fate at a Christmas card table.
The high-flying College Players fell into abeyance a decade ago but will restate its identity with The Seafarer.
What about Dr Mike Finneran being associated with the grown-up musical fare of Bare Space Theatre Company?
“I have always had an ambition to direct drama,” he ‘fesses up. “True, I did The Threepenny Opera and Sweeney Todd with Bare Space but that is musical theatre, it’s a very different beast”.
Still, there is a beastly behaviour at its most gristly around this boozed-up game of life at The Belltable.
“McPherson is a renowned storyteller,” underlines the director. “The plays are real but not real, we find ourselves asking are these people dead or alive? There is an almost supernatural quality here – what are they getting up to?”
Well, The College Players’ pot is playing to win. Book on 061-319866 for this Thursday 5, Friday 6.
