Theatre review: Birthright

T.C. Murray's 1910 play Birthright is apparently inspired by the biblical story of Jacob and Esau, so I assume I don't need to say anything more about the plot. No? OK, it's set on a farm in rural Ireland where Bat (Pádraig Lynch) and Maura Morrissey (Rosie Armstrong) have two grown-up sons: Hugh (Thomas Fitzgerald) is his mother's favourite, the sportsman, poet and scholar with an interest in current affairs and the wider world. Shane (Peter Broderick) is the born farmer, and therefore his father's favourite. In fact it's not so much that Bat likes Shane more, as it is that he hates Hugh with a fiery vengeance, basically for taking after his mother more than him. Still, Hugh's the oldest, and therefore Bat has always sworn that the farm will be left to him, while Shane, who's been keeping the place going for the last few years, is planning to emigrate to America in a few days' time.

Theatre review: Paper Cut

If theatre has a tendency for unintended themed programming, where a number of creatives simultaneously decide to tackle similar ideas, then young gay men with disabilities is shaping up to be one of the themes coming to prominence in 2023. It's fertile theatrical ground: Some of the best theatre showcases the experiences of people who belong to minorities, so those of people who belong to two or more will present unique insights. Never mind the fact that in the intersection of these particular two minorities you get a group that can become slaves to a very particular idea of physical perfection, with another living and even thriving with very different bodies. The Park Theatre seems to be the hub for these stories at the moment - not long after Animal in the main house, we get Paper Cut in the studio, and Andrew Rosendorf's play also takes in PTSD, and soldiers' place in the world after they can no longer serve.