One-man comedy set in Tuam has broad appeal

REVIEW BY DECLAN TIERNEY

Old stories, funny moments that happened years back and the occasional legend are transformed into a very successful comedy by Kevin O’Dwyer in a novel one-man performance of his own show, Tales froma Monbach at Tuam Arts Festival.

And while the one-act ‘slag’, as he described it himself, was particular to Tuam and its various characters over the years, it was something that could be staged anywhere and would still have created the same amount of laughter.

The strangely titled Tales From A Monbach was performed for just one night when it could have commanded a captive audience for a longer stint . . . as a certain curiosity was aroused by what the hell a Monbach was.

This was revealed in the latter stages of the show but not before Kevin O’Dwyer immersed the audience in a series of funny stories from Tuam in days gone by. They were invariably introduced by the words:“There was a sham in this town wan time . . .”

Kevin wrote, produced, directed and performed in this production in which he played Monty, who was celebrating his last day at work by having a few pints on his own and reminiscing on times past and the various events and people he had came across.

There was a certain similarity to Éamon Morrissey’s one-man play The Brother – itself based on the writings of Flann O’Brien – in that the pub was the venue, ‘the Pint of Plain’ was the preferred drink and it revolved around reminiscences.

Of course some of Kevin O’Dwyer’s reflections were about actual occurrences in Tuam and pertained to particular individuals. These were so hilarious that everyone, whether in the know or not, got a laugh out of them.

Some people did suggest that one had to be from Tuam to appreciate the nuances of the stories recounted in the comedy but this was rubbish, as many of those present wouldn’t have a clue who the tales related to and still got a great kick out of them.

But what about the name, Monbach? Well, this related to a story which the main character recounted when he worked on a lorry that transported vegetables from one end of the country to another. He was employed to direct the vehicle while it was reversing and would shout to the driver “mon back, mon back” as he directed the lorry.

While this was a play that was intrinsically Tuam in terms of stories that it related, it could have easily been performed anywhere else and the same level of enjoyment could have been achieved.

Kevin O’Dwyer’s character sipped away, puffed away and bitched away about how his doctor had encouraged him to adopt a healthier lifestyle, while portraying a character who was clinging to memories more than having any great desire to embrace retirement.