This site-specific series of 11 short plays back-to-back is played on an ordinary double-decker bus travelling around the city. At the end of each piece, it stops at a bus stop, where the actors for the next show get on. Most are set in contemporary Dublin, but tackle everything from abortion to armed robbery (with plenty of lighter stuff in between).

The company - a youth theatre which has won Dublin Fringe awards in the past - makes good use of the bus as a performance space. The use of bus stops to change actors is fluid and most scenes are set in buses, with a lot of movement around the space. Some scenes are set downstairs, where the standing space is used as a stage for several scenes, while the upstairs scenes make use of the fact that one can hear the entering actors downstairs before they are actually seen. Just one scene is actually outside the bus, which provides for a change of scenery (and avoids motion sickness).

One of the strongest scenes, Out of Service, is in two parts. In the first, set in the 1960s or 70s, the start of a dysfunctional marriage can be seen. In the second, set in the present day, the cycle of history repeats itself with one of the children of the first couple.

In another strong scene, Robin and The Sheriff, a large man with a metal pipe orders everyone off the bus and into a nearby yard. At this performance, he seems so real that a police car patrolling the area thinks he is robbing the bus, so stops in front for a few minutes, until they realise it's a performance.

Dermot Bolger's contribution, Ranelagh Bus, is a light and magical piece about a brief relationship that begins on a bus, evocative of the dark days of 1980s Dublin. Pukeface and the Monkey Boy is a charming tale of nerdy teenage romance and Numero Uno has a subtle moral twist at the end.

While most of the acting is excellent, four that put in particularly good performances are Stephen Murray, Robert O'Connor, John Nesbitt and Nicola Moore.

Cast Credits: (alpha order within each show): Fig Rolls and Vodka: Tracey McCann - Alison. Ken Kearns - Anthony. The Dublin Bus Tapes: Delia Danila. Sam Forde. Arber Sula. Abaz Tota. Going Places: Cal Kearny - Tom. Ruth Maguire - Shona. Nicola Moore - Elle. Liam Roe - Danny. Numero Uno: Stephanie Kelly - Olivia. David O'Sullivan - Wayne. Out of Service: Deirdre Burke - Mary / Charlene. Robert O'Connor - David / Troy. Robin and the Sheriff: John Nesbitt - The Sheriff. Mark Walsh - Robin Hood. Nee Naw: Donna Douglas - Annie. Pukeface and the Monkey Boy: Thomas Collins - Monkey Boy. Sinead Moloney - Pukeface. 50 Cent: Zoe Harmon-Conlon - Lady Tourist. Cal Kearney - Irish Man. Nicola Moore - Irish Woman. Solomon Sulimon - Male Tourist. Hero's Flight: Jessie Doyle - Princess. Sean Dunne - Villian. Ranelagh Bus: Stephen Murray - Michael. Amanda Sullivan - Maggie.

Company Credits: (for all shows): Designer - Owen Boss. Soundscape - Declan Hurley. Sound Designer - Simon Gorry. Co-Producer - Ciara Mac Guill. Costume Design - Fiona Roberts.. Photography - Hu O'Reilly. (for individual shows): Fig Rolls and Vodka: Writer - Donna Douglas. Director - Amanda Sullivan. The Dublin Bus Tapes: Deviser / Director - Chrissie Poulter. Going Places: Writer - Max Hafler. Director - Niall Cleary. Numero Uno: Writer - Louse Lowe. Director - Annabelle Comyn. Out of Service Parts I & II: Writer - Billie Traynor. Director - Willie White. Robin & The Sheriff: Writer - Gavin Kostick. Director - Louise Lowe. Nee Naw: Writer - Louise Lowe. Director - Jim Culleton. Pukeface and the Monkey Boy: Writer - Karl Argue. Director - Joe Devlin. 50 Cent: Writer - Gareth Baker. Director - Stephen Murray. Hero's Flight: Writer - Kelly Fitzgerald. Director - Louise Lowe. Ranelagh Bus: Writer - Dermot Bolger. Director - Mark O'Brien.

END

(c) Colman Higgins 2007

reviewed Tuesday 18 September 07 / Dublin

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008