“APOCALYPSE, THEN” REVIEW – IRISH EXAMINER

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by Gerry Quinn

MOST comedic double acts fall into the category of straight guy, funny guy.

From the original purveyors of the form, Laurel and Hardy, to their stuffed puppet counterparts Bert and Ernie, most comic pairings have drawn humour from a similar source, that of personality conflict: a combination of the reasoned reactions of the more serious character offest against ridiculous comic antics of the stooge.

And through the characters of Declan and Felix, the main players of Apocalypse, Then, we were presented with what would be described as a post-apocalyptic version of Fathers Ted and Dougal. Of sorts.

Put simply, Apocalypse, Then tells the story of two Cork men who are the last humans on earh in a post-apocalyptic Mitchelstown in north Cork.   While this may sound like familiar territory for many theatrical productions coming from Cork, this play was mainly free of the hackneyed references to the Shandon Bells/Goldie Fish/River Lee, which alienate the non-local audience members viewers through flagrant overuse of colloquialisms.

Writers Ciaran Fitzpatrick and John McCarthy have produced a witty and intelligent, although overly long, dialogue for the cast.

With a simple set design which featured Felix in a wooden waste disposal box and Declan in a bath tub, the production underlines the virtues of working within a low budget.

The acting throughout the play was strong and despite a slightly shaky beginning, Ray Scannell grew into his role as the hapless and hopelessly optimistic Felix, while Paul Mulcahy gave a more than convincing performance as the pedantic and frustrated Declan.

While Apocalypse, Then may not quite be the finished article, this production and crew involved are heading in the right direction.  It’s definitely one to check out.