It may not deliver quite the degree of "gut-wrenching" laughter promised in the publicity material but it is difficult not be tickled an unsettling shade of pink by the absurdly large dollops of gratuitous violence, expletives and crazy psychobabble overloading George F. Walker's Criminal Genius. In this Prime Cut Irish premiere, the first of a series of six plays, collectively entitled Surburban Motel, the Canadian writer focuses his attention on a bunch of no-hopers. Petty criminals, father and son Rolly and Stevie, are holed up in the seedy Vela Motel, taking refuge from a crime they haven't quite managed to get right. Their boss is the tough-talking Shirley, who is baffled by their ineptitude and naivete. The verbals fly between the three of them at relentless speed and it takes the arrivals of booze-sozzled janitor Phillie and crazy mixed-up rich kid Amanda to shift the humour into the surreal. This is beautifully directed by Jackie Doyle and punchily realised by the ensemble of John Hewitt, Richard Dormer, Conleth Hill, Kris Halpin and Maria Connolly.
Criminal Genius runs until December 18th. To book phone Belfast 233332.