Writer & Director: Jamie Sykes
Dead Monks is a bizarre meandering caper about 3 monks’ journey through the afterlife. Starting with a skit where a crew member pretends to electrocute the audience and filled with tired jokes, cheap laughs and out of place choreography, Dead Monks is an interesting idea that is not particularly well executed.
We’re introduced to three hapless monks who are struggling following the death of their beloved Abbot. Offo, the abbey’s resident chanter, Dungal, the manuscript writer and Kevin, the idiot. When a Viking ship on the horizon threatens their lives, they begin fighting over who is the most worthy to survive by hiding in the tower with the relics. The time they spend arguing over it means all 3 are killed by Vikings and thus begins their journey through the afterlife.
A number of the jokes throughout just don’t quite land. They feel a little too familiar and as though they are to appeal to young teenagers rather than the 16+ audience that the show is advertised to. The script ends up relying on crudity and aims for the ‘cheap laugh’. There are some well executed moments of slapstick comedy throughout however these are also overly familiar and repetitive.
Although most of the show is a dialogue between the characters on stage, each of the 3 monks get a monologue discussing their backstory. A simple way of incorporating backstory it’s used effectively here, even if they are each just a little too long.
There is choreography and singing incorporated into the show. It causes a tonal shift that is sudden and uncomfortable which makes it feel out of place in the show as a whole. It’s almost as though the show is not quite sure what it is yet and has tried to cram everything it can in.
The most redeeming quality is the actors. Our 3 monks are played by Maria Cunningham (Kevin), Fiachra Corkery (Dungal) and Jackson Ryan (Offo). From the moment they were revealed on stage, each of them embodied their character in every way. Their body language and facial expression precisely matched who they were portraying. It made it very easy to get to know these characters quickly. In addition Jimmy Kavanagh is a stunning standout playing multiple characters throughout, switching between accents, personalities and body language with tremendous skill and grace.
The show attempts to be philosophical and confront its audience about their beliefs. None of it is quite as thought provoking as they try to make it. Dead Monks has wonderful potential, once it decides what it wants to be.
Runs Until 19th Dec 2025.
