On the Town: The butterfly man was fierce. When the play ended the actor who played the butterfly man, Mal Whyte, smiled wickedly at his friends.
The buzz at the after-show party in the Front Lounge on Dublin's Parliament Street was all about Whyte's character, who feeds butterflies to pigs in Tom Swift's new play, The Butterfly Ranch. "It's the kind of play that will be rattling around in your head afterwards," explained director Jo Mangan.
It was "amazing, very thought-provoking", said writer Aidan Harney, from Dundalk, after the show. His friends, broadcasters Darren Kennedy and Kieran Grimes, agreed. It's about "butterflies, war and aeroplanes", said Swift. The Butterfly Ranch, which is produced by The Performance Corporation, ends tomorrow night and there's a matinée performance today at 3 p.m. The play was written specifically for the building, the former church of SS Michael & John, latterly the Viking Adventure Centre. "With balconies around the edge, we built a three-storey stage," said Swift. "The audience stands looking down. It's like a pit."
Others at the party included journalist and editor Lloyd Mudiwa and Jim Culleton, artistic director of Fishamble, which is in Portlaoise's Dunamaise Arts Centre tonight with Tadhg Stray Wandered In. Written by Michael Collins, it features Eamonn Owens of The Butcher Boy fame.
Lynda Gough, who plays Chrisso in the launderette in Fair City, said the play was "dark, wacky and funny". It was "incredibly exciting", said Karen Egan, who is currently performing at Bewley's Café Theatre.