O’Carroll comedy for An Taibhdhearc stage

Mountbellew drama group The Malthouse Players will bring Brendan O’Carroll’s three-act comedy The Course to An Taibhdhearc Theatre in the City’s Middle Street this weekend. After a chance meeting in 1996 with Brendan O’Carroll the Malthouse Players were granted the rights to the amateur premiere of The Course. The author, keeping a promise to the group, visited Mountbellew in 1997 for the premiere, when he told the audience he had never been “as proud of his work”. Back then, the play ran to packed audiences in Tuam, Ballinasloe, An Taibhdhearc and at the Boyle Arts Festival. Now it’s being revived The Course is a fast-moving comedy with a motley collection of characters, and is packed with the sharp one-liners and awkward situations which are O’Carroll’s trademark. The setting is a hotel, somewhere in Ireland. Joe Daly, played by John Corcoran, is the instructor on a Major Accident Insurance course for door-to-door salespeople. His pupils have a 100% success rates in their exams, which attracts the attention of the company’s Group Controller Burt Rubenstein, (Phil Coffey). He travels to Ireland from US headquarters to investigate. Burt gives an ultimatum to Joe that the pass rate can be no higher than 70%. Under Burt’s supervision, Joe struggles to meet that challenge. The Malthouse Players were founded in 1992 in an area with a very strong dramatic tradition, with the aim of bringing the very best of entertainment to the local community. In the 22 years since, the Malthouse Players have concentrated mainly on comedy – it’s their forte and is preferred by their audiences. Over the years they have won two All Ireland One-Act drama finals; in 1997 with What’s For Pudding, directed by Margaret Farrell, and again in 2006 with The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the Goldfish, directed by Lorraine Corcoran. The Course has already played in Mountbellew and Glenamaddy and will be in an Taibhdhearc this Friday and Saturday, November 21 and 22 at 8pm. Tickets are €12/€10 at antaibhdhearc.com or from the box office on 091-562024 or 091-563600.