The Belly Button Girl – New Theatre – Review
SQUAD Presents an Intensive Purposes Production – Aug 22nd – Aug 27th

What’s the worst 21st birthday party you’ve been to? Our hero has just driven to Dingle to his cousin’s party in the local parochial hall. It is filled with people that he would rather not talk to. Guys in GAA tops and girls that look like they cheer when their plane lands. The music puts it over the edge, with a mix of the Crazy Frog and Enrique Iglesias. He decides that his stay will be short, he goes to the bar to get a glass of water and the WiFi code. That’s when he sees her, the girl in the belly top.

This is a new play written and performed by Tom Moran. It is a one man show that follows this simple love story through its twist and turns, with a strong emphasis on humour. Our hero is an average man, down on his luck and struggling to find his place in the world. His meeting with the Belly Button girl offers him a shot at redemption and something to build his life around. He dreams of a far off future where they are married and have kids.

There are minimal props on stage. Four plinths stand with a variety of items; a statue of Buddha, a couple of shot glasses and a container of nuts and other odds and ends. These seem of little relevance, but each of these items are mentioned in the various scenes. The play relies on the actor setting the scene and creating images in the viewer’s mind.

The play moves along at a merry clip and the humour keeps the show on the road. The jokes can be quite vulgar at times and it is definitely suited to a younger audience. It is a difficult task for any actor to keep the attention of an audience single handed but the story rarely flags. It is a fairly average tale of a struggling romance, but Moran shows a few neat touches and the play does not follow a conventional story arc. There are a number of interesting insights into life in small town Ireland and the initial scene at the party is probably the most impressive one in the production.

Written and Performed – Tom Moran
Directed – Romana Testasecca
Producer – Tamar Keane
Design – Robert Downes
Marketing Design – Ben Moran