Dublin Theatre Festival 2024: Dream Factory

Aoife O'Sullivan and Ruth Berkeley in Dream Factory. Image by Olga Kuzmenko

**

What do a parent-and-toddler story and a Lords of Strut sketch have in common? They're both best when kept short. Why is this relevant to Lords of Strut’s musical Dream Factory? Because Dream Factory is a parent-and-toddler story stretched to a two hour pantomime. Even with the best will in the world wanting it to work, it makes for hard work at times. Redeemed by a big finish, some bigger musical numbers, and the biggest musical superstar of them all. A scintillating Ruth Berkeley as a pantomime Mum and a psychotic sheep who steals every scene and holds everything else to account.

In Cian Kinsella’s corporate kitsch tale, a money making corporation, Dream Factory, is sucking Paradise’s resources dry. Creating useless stuff to sell to people. The sheep Moo, intent on world destruction, brainwashing people into being mindless consumers. Leading to a disproportionate amount of time telling us how bad the world is and how we need to save it rather than telling a worthwhile story. Aoife O’Sullivan, like a gutsy, pre-teen Brittney Spears, uncovering Moo's plan having sneaked into the Dream Factory to find her father. Throw in a talking bee, some modest aerial, trampoline and floor routines, and an endless barrage of on the nose messages and by intermission you might well be eyeing the exit.

Post intermission, music cranks up as songs move front and centre, by far the best thing about this production. Garry McCarthy’s foot tapping compositions injecting verve and gusto into proceedings. Enlivened by Deirdre Griffin’s energised if sloppy choreography, with cheerleading lifts risking near misses. Compensating for Ellen Kirk’s low budget, two stairs and a trampoline set, Sarah Foley’s Crayola costumes, and director Jennifer Jennings eliciting Jackanory level performances. Ultimately, the story goes where you expect the story to go, the final part of the journey made fun and memorable as we all stand up to get down. Still, Dream Factory over does overkill, overstays its welcome and overplays its weak hand. It has its moments, and a divine Ruth Berkeley, but as its feel good, send off quickly wears off you’re left wishing it had aspired to Berkley’s standards and kept itself short rather than selling itself short. Dream Factory making for a modestly good outing for the undiscerning young, but not near as good as Lords of Strut are capable of.

Dream Factory, by Cian Kinsella, additional writing by Jennifer Jennings, presented by Lords of Strut, runs at The Civic Theatre as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2024 until October 5.

For more information visit Dublin Theatre Festival 2024 or The Civic Theatre