Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets and more information: https://www.bunkertheatre.com/whats-on/eris/about
Running until: 28th September 2018
Production Photos by: Connor Harris

In his debut play, John King’s Eris follows a young man called Seán, who has just broken up with his long term boyfriend of eight years Tim. As well as wondering whether it was the right decision, Seán now must find the perfect plus one to take to his sister’s wedding.

The main theme of the play is family and what I found really interesting was that Seán lives in London whereas his family live in Ireland. This adds emphasis on how different surroundings can affect one’s opinions as at the top of the play, we find out that Seán’s family were planning to shun Tim from the wedding anyway due to Tim being labelled as eccentric. This really brought out the generational as well as geographical differences of cultures. King’s script shows this through brilliant humour that had me howling in my seat while the decision to have the supporting cast using microphones to communicate with Seán added an extra layer of amplification.

The cast is led by a fantastic tour de force performance from Cormac Elliott as Seán who not only brings charm and wit but also a sensitive and nervous side to the character too. The four supporting actors are also great varying as members of Seán’s family and friends to some of his hookups but I must say Ashling O’Shea was hilarious as Seán’s best mate Callista too.

Although it’s a small space, Natalie Johnson’s set design combined with Julian Starr’s sound design and Catja Hamilton’s lighting design fit really well together that they can change the atmosphere from a club to a wedding to a coffee shop in the blink of an eye. Robbie Taylor Hunt’s production is brilliant, wonderful and unlike other LGBT+ plays that I’ve seen recently. Definitely check it out if you want a funny new comedy.

Until next time,