New play Chicane in the Belltable this week

A BLACKLY comic thriller, where the audience should “expect the unexpected”, is how Guna Nua Theatre Company’s Chicane is described, boasting a top notch cast and direction by Limerick man Paul Meade, a renowned actor in his own right.
Written by first time playwright Anthony Brophy and featuring Barry Barnes, Emmet Kirwan - of RTE’s Sarah and Steve - and highly promising up and coming actress Jane McGrath, this is definitely not one to miss.
Steeped in film noir and effectively a cinematic thriller on your local stage, Chicane is packed with suspense, violence and deceit and receives its world premiere on Limerick’s Belltable stage, a considerable coup for the venue.
“It is a thriller, set in a lawyer's office in contemporary Dublin and basically what people can expect is the unexpected,” laughs Paul Meade, founder of Guna Nua, whom local audiences may remember brought the superb ‘Little Gem’ to the Belltable in recent times.
“The name Chicane refers to something in the story, but it also refers to all the twists and turns in the play and it brings you around a different corner every ten pages or so. The play is like a revenge play, but your perception of what is happening is constantly being subverted. It is set in one office, there are three characters and it is really intense, but very funny at times - it is playful in the sense that it is constantly changing in that you don't know what is going to come next.”
He adds with a smile: “There are a lot of film noir overtones. If you like thrillers or black comedy, you will love this”.
The three-hander is a suspenseful whodunit, but is ultimately a story of love and loyalty. Happily, it provides the Dublin based Meade - whose performance in the Georgian House located Buck Jones and the Bodysnatchers lingers long in the memory - with a chance to return to his home city.
“It is great to be back in Limerick and it is always great to be in the Belltable - they have been very supportive of Guna Nua for the last number of years with Little Gem and this,” he says effusively.
Chicane runs in the Belltable @ 36 Cecil Street until Saturday, October 2.