Theatre Choice

The Louth schoolteacher Big Mickey Murphy (Colin O’Donoghue, top) wants to leave the civil war behind and emigrate to Yonkers with his wife, but is thwarted by his older brother, the republican firebrand Small Mickey (Peter Daly, bottom), who is scheming to bring down the fledgling free state. Jailed for carrying a weapon for his brother, Big Mickey launches a desperate escape bid at the moment Small Mickey attacks the prison. That the pair’s conflicting ideals form the backbone to a clash between old and new Ireland in Colin Thornton’s play is inevitable, but this is no po-faced history lecture. The director, Darren Thornton, maintains a playful mood throughout. The actors’ ability to generate a host of believable characters results in a quietly subversive and hugely entertaining piece of theatre, with O’Donoghue playing straight man to Daly’s series of inventive comic creations.