FOR quite a few years now, Maeve Ingoldsby has been writing intelligent, unpatronising plays for children and her latest is as good as any of them.
Bananas in the Bread Bin, which has just opened at Kilkenny's Watergate Theatre, is aimed at children from six to 12 but, judging by its first-night audience and their reaction, the target age might usefully be hiked a few years.
A married couple, Martin and Jackie, have two daughters, Aisling and Emer, who squabble non-stop as a byproduct of their natural closeness, and are sometimes misunderstood for this non-toxic sibling rivalry. Martin has lost his job and is having no luck finding another, despite his not-to-worry personality; Jackie is thinking of getting a job in Dublin to keep the show on the road. The children mistake their occasional squabbles for serious fighting.
Into this situation lands cousin Martin, whose parents have just separated. After a brief authorised stay, he hides out in the back garden with the help of the girls. The trio invent some amusing games which reach a zenith of creative slapstick at the expense of the neighbouring Miss, Cummisky, a starchy lady who disapproves of rowdiness. After numerous evasions and complications, the children surrender to the adult world and are forgiven. Life goes on, with everyone a little wiser.
The parents are played with excellence by Helen Walsh and Seam us Power, as is the neighbour by Catherine Gisbourne. Aoife O'Beirne, Fiona Glascott and Enda Kilroy are delightfully natural and exuberant as the children and all are equipped with the kind of dialogue which falls naturally and amusingly on the ear. Director Philip Hardy whips the action along smoothly with the help of a mobile, fast-changing set, designed by Harry Harris.
The show will be off soon on an extensive tour and should prove a popular success.
