Clare musician Micho Russell was legendary, both for his music and his extraordinary personality. In public, even when he wasn't playing, he could hold an audience in thrall with his stories. Russell's life is now recalled in this show, a labour of love by a group of neighbours and friends of the late musician.
Written by a west Clare teacher, John Doorty, it is based on a series of taped interviews with Micho Russell and it provides an overview of his life, the sources of his music - insofar as he could explain these - and his attitude towards his extraordinary gift. Doorty narrates and also takes on the role of Russell, a brave move indeed.
It's questionable whether the large stage of Galway's Town Hall Theatre is an apt setting for such an essentially intimate show. The difficulty of space wasn't helped by Dolores Lyne's rather unimaginative set, which consists of a few bare branches, a cut-out which looked like a rock - behind which four musicians were semi-hidden - a sugan chair and a mock window.
Doorty introduces the show by explaining his relationship with Micho Russell. Then he dons a cloth cap and slips into Russell's character, recounting the memories of this highly unusual man. The tales are interesting and entertaining, but to describe the piece as a play, which Doorty does, is inaccurate. Despite Alan Devlin's direction, it lacks tension and dramatic action; and, as an exercise in theatre, it is a non-runner.
The action which does exist is provided by the fine musicians and the dancers, although the show over-reaches itself by trying to fit in too many of the tunes associated with Russell, and only playing snippets of most of them. But there are some fine half-sets, as well as outstanding performances from young dancer Aisling Drennan.
This may not be the play it sets out to be, but it's fine entertainment and it's from the heart.