The Lieutenant of Inishmore

The team (Martin McDonagh and Paul Kerryson) behind Curve‘s inaugural production, The Pillowman reunite to bring this satirical black comedy to the stage. Set in an Ireland struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of a long and hard fought civil war of sorts, it tells the tale of one pocket of a tiny community, and the death of a cat. It doesn’t sound like it should be funny, does it? But, it’s so hilarious it’s actually on the bill of the Leicester ComedyFestival too.

Curve goes the extra mile by really immersing you in a performance before the show’s even began. Live music, the sounds of a ferry, fishing nets on the walls, billowing smoke all set the scene for what’s to come.

Any play that starts with Rage against the machine’s ‘Killing in the name of’ has got to be good, yeah?  We see a dead cat being fussed over by two men in a ramshackle home. Turns out this cat belongs to a chap that “The IRA wouldn’t let him in cos he is too mad” so there’s bound to be repercussions.

There are indeed.  The violence that follows is often graphic, quite inventive and fortunately at times only suggested. But expect to see lots of blood.

There are strong performances all round, Samuel Roukin Padraic plays psychopath beautifully but the double act between Donny (Eoin McCarthy) and Davey (Patrick Moy) feels like the heart of the play. The latter gets some of the best lines and his delivery and timing are impeccable.

The video screens and pliable set reinforce the story without being a distraction. All round it’s another great show from Curve whose programming is consistently improving.  Their work continues to make theatre accessible and stretch the boundaries of the expected from so called provincial theatre.

The show runs until Feb 27th.  Be warned that it contains scenes of violence and language that may offend the faint hearted. Tickets can be booked by calling 0116 242 3595, pop into the Box Office or head to curveonline.co.uk