60 Minutes in Dublin is a collection of short pieces, held together loosely on the theme of life in Dublin. They are written and performed by a bunch of young, talented Irish actors and performers. They are mostly one or two man shows, and short in length with ten pieces in total, they are rarely longer than 5 minutes and with only seconds before the next piece starts.

They are often sad and deal with poverty and the current economic climate, but there are a number of ones played purely for laughs which are closer to sketches in a comedy show. We get to meet a difficult theatre employee who will not let a latecomer in regardless of her circumstances and a slightly crazed woman waiting for a blind date outside the GPO. We receive a call to arms from an average office worker who has had enough. There are stories of unrequited love, about a man who failed to make the first move and tales of the very old and the very young in Irish society. One of the most successful pieces shows the worst person in the world to be stuck in a lift with!

The final piece of the evening ‘Overshare’ is an attack on the glibness of social media and facebook, where three heads intermittently emerge through a black sheet, telling us fascinating insights into life, such as what they had for dinner or what they are up to tonight. It nicely captures just how dull the site can be, and regardless of what is said, it is met with a variety of lol’s and likes. This is a good showcase of Irish talent and never dwells too long on any one subject for you to get bored. Rua O’Donnachu and Jennifer Meade stand out as names to watch for the future amongst the accomplished young cast.

60 Minutes in Dublin runs at the New Theatre from the 9th to the 14th of December.

The pieces include-

No latecomers by Jane McCarthy

Kerstin by Gerard O’Shea

The Lift by Rua O’Donnachu

Overshare by Jennifer Meade

Man at Desk by Matthew O’Brien

The Stand up by Andrea Ni Chleirigh

Meet the team- Andrea Ni Chleirigh, Gerard O’Shea, Matthew O’Brien, Dan Keogh, Finbarr Doyle, Jennifer Meade, Aoife Spratt, Rua O’Donnachu and Jane McCarthy

Lightning Design- Susannah Cummins

Stage Manager- Terena Rogers