Site is packing political dynamite. Under the cluster of Paul Henry mountains on Keith Payne's backdrop is a spanking great new "modern" home. What is at issue here is the property boom which is eating up the West and the corrupt alliance between builders and the political class which is allowing it to happen.
During the initial sequences I felt I was looking, for the first time, at a truly Irish version of Dario Fo's theatre. Owen Mac Carthaigh, Jane Talbot and Paraic Breathnach of Fir Clis have created a set of magnificent stereotypes - the lazy night watchman (Mick Lally), the lecherous builder (Peter Sammon), the corrupt politician from the Aggressive Autocrat party (Robert Smith), the romantic Brit with the heart of steel, riding her bike through the district exactly as the classic landowner would ride a horse (Lycette Yuill). Added to this was the fact that many of the actors, including Paraic Breathnach himself, are well known to the Galway audience, so that there is that subtle double recognition, a "Let's pretend you're another person" playfulness.
As the price on the Corinthian-Thatched-Tudor-Art Deco confection rearing up before us trebled and quadrupled, the audience's anger at the assault of the property boom was palpable. They were, ahem, putty in the hands of the Site crew. There were conflicts in the structure of the work, however, which left that putty lukewarm. The desire to celebrate the building tradition allowed director Midie Corcoran to give us some lovely builders' choreography, but when we got down to a romance on site we were really being distracted from the main issues of the play.
The idea is so good and some of the elements so delightful, like the flock of sheep made of paint and spirit cans and the live music, from thumping trad to insidious oriental, by Padraig Stevens, Steve Hanks and Kevin Duffy, that the whole thing should be whirled right around again in the cement mixer so that we can see its true grit.
Runs until Saturday July 24th (excluding Sunday 18th and Monday 19th) at 9.30 p.m. (except Friday 16th and Saturday 17th, when it plays at 10.30 p.m.). Bookings: 1890- 566577
