Mickey Moe and his younger brother Andy have never got along. Andy is religious and the apple of his dear Mother’s eye, whereas Mickey Moe has always been a bit too fond of the drink. When their Mother dies, they are handed half the house and land each, shared almost equally between them! When Andy decides it is time to find a wife, the local solicitor/ undertaker Mr. Downey sets him up with Maisy, an attractive, younger woman. It appears he has found the perfect wife, but all is not as it seems.

This is a typical rural farce, and plays a lot of similar notes to those that have gone before, with religion, alcoholism and land all rearing their ugly heads as themes and devices to be played upon. There are a number of familiar faces in the cast, Gerry Walsh played Larry Cummin in Pat Short’s Killiaskully and Frank Melia and  Aisling O’Neill have both performed in Fair City.

While lacking the sophistication of Martin McDonagh’s various plays, it does plough a similar field, so to speak. The plot gets ever more complicated as it progresses, with deaths, murders and even a resurrection or two along the way (good for the week that’s in it!).  The plot is far fetched in the extreme, and never worries too much about the details, you just have to run with it! It is a light hearted sit-com style comedy that is enjoyable and never takes itself too seriously.

Cowslip’s production of ‘The Deal’ runs at the Civic theatre, Tallaght, until March 30th, with tickets at €20 (€16 concession).

Written by Thomas Clare

Directed by Liz Lloyd

Cast:

Andy: Gerry Walsh

Dr. Forrest: Frank Melia

Mickey Moe:: Owen O’Gorman

Mr. Downey: Oliver Stephens

Maisy: Aisling O’Neill