Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, a survivor of nearly 400 years, still has the makings of a lively slapstick comedy. Its eponymous hero Subtle is a con man with a few scams going for him. He can be a necromancer, an astrologer and something of a pimp; but his big sting, operated with partner Face, is the alchemy bit, harnessed to the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. That really pulls in the suckers.
And that's what the play is about; a string of victims nicely reeled in by their own greed, and cleverly dumped when they have parted with their cash. They include clerk Dapper, tobacconist Drugger (nice one, Ben), knight Epicure Mammon, gamester Surly, clergymen Ananias and Tribulation, an Angry Boy and his widowed sister. There is, of course, a come-uppance for the fraudsters, followed by an odd coda which seems partly to subvert it.
That leaves the acting, here from a relatively young cast; and the combination of this cheerful old chestnut in the hands, if I may, of new faces is a beguiling one. Iomha Ildanach production has its funny moments and its longueurs, but Ben Jonson rarely comes along nowadays, and this uninhibited tribute to his durability deserves its audiences.
Runs to May 23rd; booking at 01-6799143