Longford's Backstage Theatre Group present a five star Hotel Room

Backstage Theatre Group wowed audiences on two nights last weekend as they delivered an hilarious comedy.
The drama collective continued their 35th anniversary programme by staging their production of The Hotel Room by Anthony Burgoyne.

The play is the second full length production this year, following the very successful run by the group with John B Keane's play, Sive, earlier this year.
The Hotel Room is a situation comedy, written by Ashley Burgoyne. It tells the story of four couples using the same hotel room on four consecutive nights. Each couple has their own expectations of their stay, and the maids thrive on the gossip.

The hotel room is not the only thing which the four couples have in common. Connections go beyond their choice of overnight accommodation.
First to enter the hotel room were Susan (Sarah O'Keeffe) and Andrew (Anthony Heavey). The couple are trying desperately to have a romantic night away from the kids for the first time in four years, but things don’t exactly go as planned.

The actors played excellently together, drawing the audience in and playing on both comedy and the mystery of the script. They succeeded in piquing the interest of the audience in the unfolding plot.
The chambermaids, Megan (Niamh Quinn Hanley) and Trish (Dee Monahan), gave outstanding performances as they cracked the audience up with their observations on the goings on in Room 27.
George (Peter Columb) and Caroline (Mary McLoughlin), are the next guests on a one night stopover before their holiday. The two actors gave fine performances as they maintained the pace established by the earlier duo.

The comedy of Dallas (Killian Reid) and Olivia (Michelle Ciba), as the young couple who check in under an alias, kept the momentum up. The humorous tone established by the duo was crucial for the final scene.
The last occupants, Claire (Eileen Murphy) and Peter (Damien Bennett), linked the interconnected story. Murphy and Bennett are actors of exemplary talent and they extracted every gram of emotion from a script that demands nuance.

The set design was simple, yet effective. The faded former glamour of the hotel was wonderfully conveyed. The light and sound design for the performance was a professional standard.
Backstage Theatre Group have every right to be proud of their second production in their 35th year.