Darkly funny and fast-paced Belfast drama for Solstice

On its way to Solstice Theatre in Navan is Bruiser Theatre Company's critically-acclaimed production of 'Mojo Mickybo' by Belfast playwright, Owen McCafferty.

Mojo Mickybo shows the friendship between two boys growing up in Belfast – a friendship that at first is immune to the sectarian violence taking place around them, but which nonetheless is ultimately destroyed by it.

Mojo and his mate Mickybo are two nine-year-old boys from opposing sides of the sectarian divide. They are 'thick as two small thieves', playing headers, being mouthy, building huts, spitting from cinema balconies and re-enacting their favourite movie, 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'. They are young cowboys in the making, with the violence of The Troubles only obliquely impacting on them – until finally their friendship is destroyed in a way that they only later come to understand.

This is pure, undiluted storytelling in Bruiser’s trademark dynamic physical style. Fast-paced, darkly funny and action-packed. The show is brought to life by actors, John Travers and Conor Quinn, who seamlessly slip in and out of multiple roles and imaginary worlds. (Travers began his acting career in 2003 starring in Aisling Walsh's multi-award winning film 'Song For a Raggy Boy' picking up a Best Actor award at the Cherbourg film festival along the way kick starting his career in the arts industry).

Mojo Mickybo unsentimentally portrays a kind of innocence betrayed by communal hatred, showing the harsh absurdity of sectarianism. Our young heroes, Mojo and Mickybo, represent the division of a benighted country that has spent a century at war with itself.

Bruiser Theatre Company are renowned for their fast-paced, energetic, and engaging performances. Under the meticulous direction of Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards nominated Lisa May, Mojo Mickybo is ready for a live audience following its successful online run while theatres remained closed. Bruiser Theatre Company is delighted to be bringing this award-winning production across the border, and proud to present this showcase of both Northern Ireland’s talent and complex history to mark the 25th anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement.

Artistic director, Lisa May said: “We at Bruiser are very excited to be producing Mojo Mickybo. It flies at breakneck speed, is witty, darkly funny and searingly honest; perfect to explore in Bruiser’s bold physical style. To me, it feels like Owen McCafferty’s love letter to Belfast, warts and all, and shows how sectarian anger is so deeply buried into the psyche of those who have grown up during the troubles; it is passed on to generation after generation. Nostalgic yet damning, hilarious yet heartbreaking; Mojo Mickybo is sadly all too relevant for today’s audience, not just in Northern Ireland but around the world.”

It stages in Navan on Thursday 8th June.