Between Foxrock and a Hard Place

Olympia Theatre

Ross O’Carroll-Kelly is all grown up. That is what a recession will do to you. It will claw away at your inheritance, close your favourite nightclub down and force you to realise new responsibilities. At a gathering in his family’s Foxrock home, the petulant adolescent will be transformed into a man.

In the suburban palace of Joe Vanek’s garishly opulent design, a birthday celebration becomes a wake, as the O’Carroll-Kellys realise the extent of their lost fortune. The market price of their house has been irreparably devalued in the rezoning of Foxrock as “Sandyford East”. Like, oh my God! That is almost as bad as if it were moved to the Northside.

Not as bad, perhaps, as having to spend the night with an armed robber who was traumatised by peacekeeping duties in the Lebanon during the last recession. However, it is the gunman who will be more traumatised by the time dawn breaks.

Paul Howard’s ROC phenomenon has been built upon gentle satire of social stereotypes, and the cast of Jimmy Fay’s production bring near three-dimensional life to Howard’s well-known characters. With arms akimbo and feet pointing outwards, Rory Nolan’s Rosser, in particular, is a cartoon sprung up from the page. Unfortunately, he is given little more to do in Howard’s curiously conventional play than pout and puff his chest out in pubescent outrage.

Unlike the multi-locational The Last Days of the Celtic Tiger, Between Foxrock and a Hard Placeis a formulaic middle-class domestic drama. Furthermore, the exposition is clumsy and the essential rule of theatrical storytelling (if there is a gun on the stage, use it) is ignored with perilously frustrating effect.

That said, Between Foxrock and a Hard Placeis very funny, particularly in the first half, where the gags come as thick and fast as a stand-up comedy routine. The audience were even, like, actually cheering in recognition of themselves and their own folly.

The ROC phenomenon has always been a bit uncomfortable: a parody consumed gleefully by the very people it satirises. And perhaps this is why it is 13-year-old criminal-in- the-making Ronan (a fantastic Laurence Kinlan) that offers the most depth. His characterisation is potentially offensive, but at least he provides an opportunity for the audience to reflect upon their own assumptions.

Runs until Nov 14th