Italian-style cattleprod to be taken to Ulster epic

Cúchulainn’s epic quest to help the men of Ulster recover the Brown Bull of Cooley from Queen Medb and the cattle-rustling men of Ireland will be brought irreverently back to life with an Italian twist by the Commedia of Errors theatre company at the Playhouse on Friday, October 2.

One of the truly great epics of Irish mythology, The Táin, will be reimagined through Commedia dell’arte – a form of traditional Italian theatre, which incorporates masked characters or types and pantomime.

This revitalised adaptation of a classic tale by Belfast’s Benjamin Gould is a fitting production for families and theatre enthusiasts alike.

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Fresh from its debut at the International Theatre Festival in Milan, Italy, the Queen of Connacht comes North to steal Ulster’s legendary Brown Bull.

With the men of Ulster sick with the curse, only Cúchulainn can stop her. It’s a shame he hasn’t got two brain cells to rub together.

Luckily his intellectually challenged servant stands by his side to save the hero from his own stupidity.

With the stupid leading the stupider, in a fight against the idiots, it’s hard to know who might prevail.

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Benjamin Gould trained as an actor at the prestigious Alra, London, before travelling to Italy to train in Commedia dell’arte.

It is this style of physical comedy which informs all of his work and he has since worked with some of the top directors in Europe including Carlo Boso (AIDAS, Paris), Massimo Macchiavelli (Fraternal Compagnia, Bologna), Marco Rota (Teatro Viaggio, Bergamo), and Didi Hopkins (with the National Theatre, London).

His work is influenced by the Marx Brothers, slapstick comedy and classic pantomime, creating shows that are dense in humour and wit and that don’t take themselves too seriously. He brings something truly unique to the Northern Irish Arts Scene.

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