Grindr, Saghdar agus Cher – Teacher’s Club
Writer and Director: Ciara Ní É, Eoin Mc Evoy, Sam Ó Fearraigh
Oíche iontach i gclub na múinteoirí le Grindr, Saghdar agus Cher! Don’t worry – that’s more or less the end of the attempt at Irish for this review, though not for a lack of desire to continue, especially after listening to the gorgeous guthanna i nGaelige for an hour. Ciara Ní É, Eoin Mc Evoy and Sam Ó Fearraigh put on a great show – three distinct voices describing a night in a gay bar in Dublin. Ní É – a lesbian at her cousin’s straight centric hen, Mc Evoy having his first fling after his ex, and Ó Fearraigh waiting for his date to show up, having his first experience of a gay bar; though of course there’s far more to each story than that brief descriptor conveys.
The three stories have lots of similarities that weave them comfortably together, even before it becomes apparent they’re all describing the same night in the same bar. There’s well timed humour from each that lands for everyone in the audience with the delivery, regardless of whether the joke has been read by many off the English subtitles to the side or not, which says a lot for the comedic skills of the three performers. There’s a gentle intimacy to the telling, as each, at times, expresses some genuine vulnerability. There’s an anger as well, or a touch of bitterness, and with good reason but dealt with in different ways. Finally, there’s a yearning for community and belonging that feels achingly universal.
However, as much as this piece could be seen as celebrating the crossover in experience of these three characters, it could also be seen as highlighting the uniqueness of each tale and each journey. Ní É lives through an evening where she is a put on display for others, trotted out as an oddity or an interest, but equally rejected for that. Mc Evoy searches for the freedom of stringless fun and finds it, but is faced with the uncertainty that can come after a night of intimacy with a stranger. Ó Fearraigh tries to overcome the self-hatred that has been bred into him by the environment he grew up in by accepting a date with someone he felt a connection with, but struggles to manage it. There is beauty in the sameness and the difference of these stories, there is uniqueness in the universality.
The staging choices are simple and solid, when not up front and centre in the monologue each actor sits quietly at the back of the stage. The screen is filled not only with the very useful English subtitles for those of us who only wish we were Gaeilgeoirí, but also with beautiful images from Margaret Lonergan. The costuming is well thought out, with the choices lending a bit of extra description to the characters.
Grindr, Saghdar agus Cher is an absolute treat from Aerach Aiteach Gaelach and a fantastic showcase for three talented writers to tell stories that feel real and relevant and right now. What is most refreshing is how natural and normal it feels to have these tales told in Irish, celebrating a community that may not have been in your consciousness before. An-mhaith ar fad.
Runs until 10th May 2023.
The Review's Hub Score
Gorgeously Gay as Gaeilge
