Bewleys Cafe Theatre double bill lights up the genius of Joyce’s Dubliners

Theatre reviews

Liam Hourican and Jim Roche are sublime in adaptations

Emer O'Kelly

If you’re a theatre-goer over 40 years of age (at least) you’ve probably lost count of the number of stage ­adaptations you’ve seen of Joyce’s masterpiece of short stories, Dubliners. The most frequently staged piece is The Dead, possibly the most ­perfect short story in the English ­language.

These latest adaptations, staged without fanfare by Wexford company Volta, are heart-rendingly perfect. Liam Hourican plays A Little Cloud, Jim Roche plays Counterpart, and the pair direct between them. They’ve incorporated live music into the adaptation, with Feilimidh Nunan on keyboard and violin, and Conor Sheil on clarinet, and the two add to the small perfection of the outing – you need to hear a crying, inconsolable baby? Here’s Nunan and his mischief.