'Lovers' is a must-see

It takes a really good playwright to see and set up the little things that make lives on a stage larger than the detail. In any of his productions that I've seen, Bernard Farrell has shown his mastery of that art.

But the skill of the dramatist is absolutely useless if there's not a good interpretation of it. And without doubt, Kilcullen Drama Group's performance of 'Lovers at Versailles' is a tour de force in terms of getting the most of the poignancy, drama and comedy that underpins the play.

As an ensemble the cast play what might well go down in the Kilcullen annals as a performance at least equal to any previous best from the group, especially with this kind of play. As somebody who has to admit having occasionally fallen asleep at shows in the past, I can truthfully say that every word and movement in this one gripped all in the audience last night.



Every part is very well played, and it can sometimes be unfair to single out individuals in such a production. But I doubt that anyone will disagree that the performances of Dick Dunphy and Esther Reddy are exceptional. There is a chemistry between them on stage which transcends mere acting, and nobody in the theatre — on stage or in the seats — can't help but become totally involved in their father-daughter relationship.



Daffydd O'Shea's performance as the bumbling and lecherous stage husband of Teresa Biddulph must also be singled out as superb.



'Lovers' is a comedy. But it is more than that, reflecting as it does through the foibles and the failings of its characters the major shift in attitudes and lifestyles that brought Ireland from backwater small town to the sometimes traumatic pounding surf of the shores patrolled by the Celtic Tiger. There are times to laugh, and there are times when it is too uncomfortably close to home to do so.

Direction is by Eilish Phillips, who certainly gets the best possible balance from all the talents at her disposal. and, as usual, the set building and dressing are to the most professional standards.

If you haven't seen 'Lovers at Versailles', do so, or you will have missed one of the Kilcullen highlights of 2005 so far, one which will be hard to beat by any yet to come in this year.










— Brian Byrne.