Gerry’s new lunchtime caper explores Connemara’s influence on The Bard
There was a time during the early 1990s when lunchtime theatre was part of life in Galway, when groups such as The Flying Pigs or The Mad Susans took to the streets in order to entice unwary passers-by into a dimly lit chamber at the back of The Kings Head, where people were entertained with a particular brand of magical mischief.
Shows such as Cromwell, The Musical and Religious Knowledge offered audiences hilarious flights of fancy that didn't interfere with their digestion and sent people back to work refreshed and perhaps with a hazier view of the subject of the drama. Things like basic facts were never allowed to stand in the way of the story, because lunchtime theatre was meant to be fun, says a veteran of that era, Gerry Conneely.
Shakespeare in Connemara follows the tradition of this genre as it explores how Shakespeare came to write his famous Scottish play, Macbeth. Gerry, who created it, has decided that the inspiration for Macbeth was Connemara – continuing the theme of paying scant regard to the facts!
Shakespeare in Connemara follows the Bards journey, in the company of boatman Máirtín Óg MacDonagh, as they negotiate a magical cavalcade of treason and conspiracy. They encounter women of power who can inflame imagination and desire and Shakespeare has a vision of a great soul being attacked by evil spirits.
Gerry Conneely is a true a veteran of the 1990s’ lunchtime theatre era. He played a Christian Brother in Religious Knowledge, written by Eamon Kelly, which also featured Tommy Tiernan, Philip Sweeney and Garry MacSweeney and ran, on and off, for about two years in the King’s Head.
“During that time Tommy became famous and the Christian Brothers had a great fall,” Gerry recalls. “The context of the show seemed to change while we were doing it and this made it more surreal and darker, without us doing anything. It was a great time and lunchtime theatre provided an outlet for young writers and performers.”
The purpose of Shakespeare in Connemara is to commemorate and celebrate that time.
■ The show runs in the Kings Head at lunchtime, 1. 15pm-1.45pm from next Monday, October 17, until Saturday, October 22 and features Gerry, Jacky Rowntree and Neil Barratt.