Despite drawing freely from the familiar well of facts and theories, this play lacks any sense of historical or psychological truth, and is over-written beyond the point of absurdity. Dialogue is the main staple of most plays, and here the characters talk to, or rather at, each other in a quite incredible mixture of the stilted and the hyperbolic. Swift is throughout drawn as a choleric egotist, a fountain of non-stop rantings. His relationships with Stella and Vanessa, here the silliest, most subservient of women, carry no conviction; and these form the nub of the intended dramatic content.

Other characters are walking cliches, from Stella's companion Rebecca, an Englishwoman who constantly proves it with her eh-bah-gums, to Swift's manservant Patrick, a saucy rogue straight out of Boucicault. But the truly creative distortion is the character of the composer Handel, a flouncing fop told fiercely by Swift to "keep your hands off my organ". There is not much one can say about the performances of actors saddled with such condign roles. Aine Corcoran (Vanessa), supported by Wayne Leitch, Deirdre Conneally and Matthew Lalor fight the good fight, but are out-punched by their lines. Kevin O'Malley's direction, for the new Emerging Genius Theatre Company, signally fails to come to their rescue; but that can probably be done only by throwing in the towel.

Runs tonight and tomorrow. To book phone 01-6795720