KILDARE DRAMA: Moat Club taps into Love/Hate era
Howie the Rookie is an urban epic by Mark O’Rowe
The Moat Club takes on an urban epic in Howie the Rookie by Mark O’Rowe The Moat Club’s upcoming production taps into Love/Hate-era nostalgia.
Howie the Rookie, by Mark O’Rowe, is a blistering tale of revenge, tragedy and unlikely friendship set in Dublin’s underworld.
Its last major Irish production was in 2014 and starred Tom Vaughan-Lawlor fresh from wrapping his role of Nidge in the final season of Love/Hate.
The Moat Club’s production is directed by Padraic Doyle and stars Brian Lyons (last seen in the Moat Club’s production of The Night Alive by Conor McPherson) as The Howie Lee and Aaron O’Connor (Robert in the Club’s production of Boeing Boeing in June 2023) as The Rookie Lee.
The men are not related but move in the same dangerous and grotesque world.
First The Howie, then The Rookie, recount, with a generous splattering of black humour, a messy chain of slights, fights, accidents and mayhem, fuelled by lots of alcohol and a fair bit of sex. It is advised that the show is suitable for over 16s.
In this tale of two halves, the actors play multiple characters, from Ladyboy, the psychotic thug hellbent on avenging the deaths of his fighting fish, to the monstrous Avalanche, looking for love from her bar stool.
“The language is amazing,” said director Padraic Doyle.
“There’s such an energy to it. When the characters start telling their stories, I have the feeling they are unstoppable. The action moves at breakneck speed and everything the actors say has a bearing on the story so I would urge the audience not to miss a beat. I’m very proud of the actors. They’re doing a fantastic job. The audience will probably feel exhausted, like they’ve been along for the ride.”
Howie the Rookie was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in February 1999. It won the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. The original cast was Karl Shiels (The Rookie Lee) and Aidan Kelly (The Howie Lee).
Howie the Rookie runs from Tuesday 13 to Saturday, February 17 inclusive at 8pm. Tickets €18 (€16) from www.moattheatre.com or from the box office on 045 883030.
Contains strong language and depictions of violence. Suitable for ages 16 and over. Performance by kind permission of Nick Hern Books.