Take a bunch of downtrodden Australian immigrants relocated to Cork. Throw in a grasping politician, a lesbian barmaid, a clutch of insane schoolteachers and a handsome doctor and begin the permutations. Performed by a versatile cast, Soap! is a hoot. The cast change costumes, accents and personas manically and heroically. The script is frenetic and witty, twisting the cliches of television soap to subversive theatrical ends. But there are some superb comic gems: co-writer Ciaran Fitzpatrick plays an illiterate Aussie acting the lead in a school performance of Romeo and Juliet. Niamh Shaw is also particularly good in her rapid switches between a hippie-dippy teacher and a crazy old harridan who believes Australians crucified Christ. Witty and pungent, Soap! uses the language of television to reach parts that other theatre generally does not.
Everyman Palace, Cork, Mon-Thu 8pm, 21 & €18, concs €15 (021 450 1673)