The Arts Review​

Geraldine Hughes, Matthew Broderick and Max Baker in Ulster American. Image by Carol Rosegg **** In David Ireland's perceptively brilliant Ulster American, Irish Americans enjoy nothing more than talking about themselves. Knowing absolutely nothing about their subject matter proving no drawback when it comes to self-praising monologues. Baldwins, Fenians, anti-Irish scripts, ignorance is bliss until faced with what they don't know about what they didn't know in the first plac

Chris O'Dowd, Peter Corboy and Brian Gleeson in The Brightening Air. Image Patricio Cassinoni **** Tolstoy famously claimed, “all happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”. Clearly Tolstoy hadn't watched many 1980s family sitcoms. Before then The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, even The Addams Family were all lovely in a similar lovely way. Till The Simpsons, Married With Children, later followed by Malcolm in the Middle arrived portraying un

Patrick Ryan and Clelia Murphy in Two. Image uncredited ***** Despite vicious rumours to the contrary, no critic worth their salt relishes writing a bad review. Most critics hope every production they attend will succeed on every front. Yet I have to confess to being somewhat relieved I have written negative reviews (moi!). Which serve as an incontrovertible reminder that I do possess objectivity and am not afraid to use it. An objectivity that could be questioned given a run