www.communityvoice.ie - Art news from Dublin 15

Tell you what I want (what I really really want)

Those Draíocht aficionados who were fortunate enough to catch MorWax Productions’ “Why men cheat” at the venue last year will doubtless be back for more of the same when Peadar de Burca returns with the follow-up “What men want.” Hopefully it will serve to give women a more detailed and sympathetic insight into the more misunderstood of the two sexes.

“Why men cheat” first premiered in 2005 after writer Peadar de Burca travelled the length and breadth of the country speaking to men and delving into the mystery that has plagued women for millennia — what exactly goes on in the mind of a man? The resulting ninety minutes of musings and mayhem was performed by five actors and has since gone international, playing both in London and in America.

“What men want” was devised in the same way with de Burca taking off across the country and interviewing more than 150 men, and a few women, in an effort to discover the secrets behind what every man wants, and what every woman wants to know. When Community Voice caught up with him, he was in a decidedly funny mood.

“How big is the cast?” he repeated. “Well, it’s a one man show and I’m about six foot nine, so a pretty big cast, wouldn’t you say? I was obviously the star of ‘Why Men Cheat’ last year so I ditched the dead weight and decided to do a Robbie Williams!

“But I wouldn’t worry about the size of the cast, size doesn’t really matter to much to most ladies – its not the size of the pencil but the quality of the writing, right…? Or as long as you have some lead in your pencil. I’d better stop this whole pencil metaphor right now!”

MorWax has been described as one of the more innovative and imaginative companies to come out of Ireland’s West. Working on a shoestring budget compared to the likes of Druid, they have managed to translate such diverse plays as “Macbeth” “Pulp Fiction” “Dracula” and “Batman” to the stage with unvarying success. So does de Burca prefer doing Shakespeare or these comedies? The response is instantaneous.

“I prefer doing these comedies,” he says. “Unlike Shakespeare, in What Men Want, I get to walk out on stage with a pint and give the audience a pint each as well. I think if Shakespeare had such an idea he could have been more popular.

“People react differently to this show than to Shakespeare as well – the ladies get very excited an in the section where some men in the audience get their bums slapped, they seem to get very … boisterous, yes, boisterous is the more polite word. I think Shakespeare enjoyed some bum slapping in his shows and back stage, but never with the actual audience. But that’s the difference between the Irish and English, we don’t enjoy anything unless our rear has been reddened.”

And is he hopeful that the play will go international?

“Yes! We are taking it to New York. Why Men Cheat is already there and getting ready to be staged and the American producer that I work with over there is keen to take this one as well. I don’t know how Americans will react to the guy performing giving them lots of free booze and some of the jokes are a bit risky and we all know the yanks can be a bit conservative, but I’ll give it a shot.

“Then I hope to take it to London and shock a couple of stiff upper lips. But let’s see what the Dublooners think of it first. Hard to make the Blanchardstown gang laugh, so if they like it, I know I’m onto a winner!” says de Burca.

Morwax Productions’ “What men want” plays Draíocht Studio from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd February at 8.15pm.

Tickets are €16 / €14.

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