BATTLE OF THE SEXES RAGES ACROSS IRELAND

“I’m thinking it’s a poor thing when the Lord God gives you sight and puts the like of that man in your way.”

Man and woman have been attempting to co-exist since the beginning of time, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by two of Ireland’s leading playwrights. This classic battle of the sexes can be seen in a double-bill of Irish comedies currently being toured across Ireland by Big Telly Theatre Company.

J.M. Synge’s The Well of the Saints is the story of an old blind couple who have eked out a meagre living begging at the crossroads of a small rural town. Their status quo is turned on its head when a passing saint restores their sight and, seeing each other for the first time, they suddenly have to come to terms with the harsh reality of life. Can this old woman really be the one referred to by locals as the Wonder of the Western World? Is this old man really the one often called handsome? Synge’s dark comedy about dark people pits husband against wife, good looks against ugliness, and attempts to answer that age old question of whether beauty is simply in the eye of the beholder ...

The sexes are quite literally battling in Sean O’Casey’s hilarious The End of the Beginning. A husband and wife swap roles for the day to prove that each can do the other’s job, and whilst she sets about capably mowing the fields, he finds the housework to be something of a chore. When a hapless neighbour calls by unannounced the duo decides to tackle the mounting workload together, and before long the marital home is under threat of total destruction. In a crescendo of smashing crockery, extensive injuries, and heifers pulling men up chimneys, O’Casey’s play proves the point once and for all that a woman’s work is never done...

Big Telly is delighted to be working with an acclaimed cast featuring some of the country’s best-loved performers; Nuala Hayes (Abbey Theatre), Brendan Conroy (IFTA Award Winner), and Northern Ireland’s own John Hewitt are joined by Ciaran McMahon and Georgina Millar in this, the latest in Big Telly’s acclaimed series of Irish classics.

These two comedy masterpieces are touring cross Ireland from 3rd October – 15th November. Let the battle commence... …