An Lár at Glass Mask Theatre: Celtic revival show with a Generation Z kick

Writer Evanne Kilgallon is certainly doing her own thing. This is a completely original quest play set in the underworld, where Dorchas, dead for a millennium, takes Solas, who died last night, on a boat voyage to meet their rulers.

orchas, having committed an unnamed crime, is compelled to row her boat for eternity, and now desperately seeks oblivion. Solas, having died leaving a three-year-old child, wants to plead her case to return to life. Tetchy with each other at first, Solas’s open approach wears down the hard-bitten Dorchas. Along the way they meet the Púca, the Sí and a variety of spirits: good, bad and ambiguous. Queen Maeve features, as does the legend of the changeling, in a folklore-inspired world reminiscent of the comic writings of James Stephens.

There are jokes a-plenty: millennial Solas chastises herself for her orthodoxy when she supposes the siren-mermaids would only be a danger to men. This is a punky Celtic revival for Generation Z, and the play does a super job of inserting a modern sensibility into these ancient tales — this gives the show an uncommon edge in recent theatre. It also makes a few stabs at social commentary; not every element is successful, but the show helter-skelters along at a great pace and is consistently entertaining over its 85-minute length.

The play is written in English and Irish; a glossary is provided, but it is all perfectly understandable to someone with school Irish (like me). Though billed as a musical, it is more a play with songs, and these are pleasing belters with composition by David Keenan.

Kilgallon herself plays Dorchas with a charming command — she has terrific stage presence. Saorla Wright brings fine emotional depth to Solas; being from the present, her character infuses the fantasy world with up-to-date realism. Set and costume designer Cathyann Murphy creates a piratical atmosphere with relish. Director Conor Hanratty steers this world-building ship brilliantly, filing gaps in resources with imaginative skill. When the feminist kick in the tail arrives, it feels perfectly and gleefully earned.