Ballyturk is an absurdist new Irish play at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. It is what your fever dream's fever dream would be like...if it dropped some acid.
5 REASONS YOU SHOULD SEE IT:
1. Tadgh Murphy. Tadgh is a massively talented performer who presents us with a character so vulnerable and sensitive that you feel like you could break him with a whisper. His beautiful and heartbreaking performance will be with you for a long time after you see this show. Tadgh stars alongside the equally terrific Mikel Murfi. These two are working EXTREMELY hard up on that stage and their performances will leave you breathless.
2. Olwen Fouéré. Olwen makes an appearance halfway through this 80-minute play and, boy, does she. She's fierce, gorgeous, and not afraid to f*ck sh*t up. I expect to be haunted by the ghost of her character for years to come. What an actress!
Photos: Teddy Wolff
3. The production values. This show is a sensory feast from the moment it starts all the way through to the curtain call. They blast 80's pop songs during ridiculous and frenetic scenes, a set piece moves to reveal a literal whole other world, and the special effects are beyond explanation in words. European theater does NOT f*ck around with this stuff.
4. The playwriting. Enda Walsh, who wrote this play, collaborated with David Bowie on his Off-Broadway musical Lazarus a couple of years ago, which was equally as trippy and wonderful. Enda, who also directs, has a knack for making absurdist theater extremely accessible for a 2018 audience. His riveting direction commands (demands!) our attention and his writing is relevant, exciting, and just plain brilliant.
5. It's at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. After last year's People, Places and Things and now Ballyturk, St. Ann's should have your attention in a big way. Broadway-caliber production values, groundbreaking works of theater and UK imports (let's face it, they're doing plays better than we are), and acting that will knock you off your feet? Yes, please! Oh, and the audiences are SUPER HOT and refreshingly young. Think hip bearded dudes and sexy librarians. Get yourself to DUMBO and see a show at St Ann's ASAP.
Ballyturk runs through January 28.