ABOUT
Music for Dogs, by Paula Meehan, is set during the economic boom years in Ireland in the early 2000’s and is part of a trio of works commissioned for radio. It was first broadcast by RTE in 2001 and published by Dedalus Press in 2008.
The action takes place on Dublin’s Burrow Beach as a woman, Jane McDonald, records a message for her estranged brother and sister. Though the context of Janey Mac’s personal tragedy is a dark one, her essential humanity and joy in life are very much to the foreground.
The action takes place on Dublin’s Burrow Beach as a woman, Jane McDonald, records a message for her estranged brother and sister. Though the context of Janey Mac’s personal tragedy is a dark one, her essential humanity and joy in life are very much to the foreground.
Paula Meehan, poet and playwright, was born and reared in the north inner city of Dublin. She has published six award-winning collections of poetry including Dharmakaya and Painting Rain. She has written plays for both adults and children, notably Cell and The Wolf of Winter.
She is currently Ireland Professor of Poetry.
She is currently Ireland Professor of Poetry.
Carol Caffrey, actor and writer, is a resident of Shrewsbury. She worked as an actress with Moving Theatre, TEAM Theatre-In-Education, RTE and The Bawdy Beautifuls in Ireland in the 80’s. This production marks her return to the boards.
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Patricia Kessler, a founder member of Dear Conjunction Theatre Company, has toured extensively in Ireland, UK and mainland Europe with a variety of productions both as actress and director. Most recently she directed ‘The Clearing’, by Helen Edmundson, a co-production with Derry Playhouse.
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THE CAST
Jane MacDonald - Carol Caffrey
Directed by - Patricia Kessler
Directed by - Patricia Kessler
Reviews
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Oct 2014 - audience reactions - BBC Radio Shropshire:
Aug 2015 - rave review - BBC Radio Scotland:
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Here is a link to the review published online by Female Arts, 9th Septemebr 2015:
http://www.femalearts.com/node/2009 And here's the review itself: Music For Dogs - Edfringe Review Submitted by Wendy Thomson -... on 9 September, 2015 - 23:00 The sea and shore are projected onto a large screen behind Jane MacDonald (played by Carol Caffrey) and with seaside props the scene is set – Dublin’s Burrow beach. A middle aged woman out for a walk with her aptly named dog Whiskey. Hip flask in one hand, dictaphone in the other, she records a message for her estranged siblings. Jane communes to her absent brother and sister about her unconventional lifestyle and how she is trying to cope without her young, larger than life, son Julian. In a masterplan worthy of Only Fools and Horses this Del Girl sets up a racket involving CD’s and canines – you’ve guessed it – 'music' for dogs. Unlike Del Boy she is hugely successful with international distribution and a new record for every dog owners need. But the play asks, what does money and success mean without your family and your health? ‘Music For Dogs’ was originally written for radio by Ireland Professor of Poetry Paula Meehan, set during (and parodying) the rapid economic growth of the 'Celtic Tiger' years. It is a great, well written piece for a one woman show, with a revealing poetic narrative. At times very funny and at others sad, I had tears in my eyes when this mother talked about her bereavement. Carol Caffrey is a consummate actor, she kept the audience’s interest, gave us a seat on her see-saw of emotions and ad-libbed effortlessly over an unexpected disturbance. It is a very detail conscious production with dog music CD covers, such as ‘Old Yeller sings Country’, designed by Brendan Riera and Annie (Culu) especially for the show. These, as well as the flyer and the poster are very amusing. Dick Keely photographed a beautiful sunset which forms the backdrop to the set. Patricia Kessler directs. And it was refreshing to see an Irish actor play an Irish character – because she can get the accent right. I really enjoyed ‘Music For Dogs’ and the only drawback came from the Edinburgh fringe venue, The Three Sisters with some noise bleeding through from nearby shows during the performance. I highly recommend ‘Music For Dogs’, which has upcoming dates in October and March. (c) Wendy Thomson 2015 http://musicfordogs.weebly.com |
“The performance is a perfect balance of sorrow, humour and anger.” The Southern Star (2014)
“Charming and delightful… A lovely piece of writing.” Chris Eldon-Lee, BBC Radio Shropshire (2014) “Poignant and bloody funny.” Barry Tench, online reviewer (2015) "Music for Dogs is a humorous and emotive one hander brought to life by actress Carol Caffrey." "This is a moving and powerful piece of theatre that spirits the audience away on an evocative and cherished journey." Richard Purden, Irish Post (2015)
Audience reviews on Tickets.edringe during our run in Edinburgh:
David Hewetson13 days ago Brilliantly written. Brilliantly acted. A real highlight of my full day at the Fringe. Try and get to see it before the end of its run. Fiona Scott 17 days ago Loved this - poignant and funny. It is a beautifully written play and well acted. Try and fit it in to your Fringe schedule. Neville cramer 18 days ago A brilliant experience. Really well written (as you might expect from a major author), excellently acted. It is a one actor tour de force of story-telling, with elelments of dark humour. A spell-binding 45 minutes. |
