A wonderful play ‘No Romance: A Desperate Business’

“CARMEL and Joe arrive early at a Dublin funeral home to sit with Joe’s recently departed mother, who is laid out for her wake!” begins Laura Cahill, Public Relations Officer of Rathfarnham Theatre Group.

This is what she has to say regarding the group’s latest production of Nancy Harris’ ‘No Romance: A Desperate Business’, a “tender, funny tale about our secret selves”.

After 24 years of marriage, Carmel and Joe think they know everything about each other, but sitting in a funeral home encourages reflections on a life lived and what might have been.

Phil Fitzpatrick, the director, read ‘No Romance: A Desperate Business’ and immediately inspired the group to perform this production, having been enthused by the story and theme of the play.

She was greatly interested in the two characters and their once comfortable lives now unravelling in the funeral home, where Joe’s mother is laid out.

Since they had not explored Nancy Harris’s plays in the past, they felt they were “ready for some new material”.

Starting the process of bringing this “wonderful” play from paper to stage has been Phil’s biggest highlight thus far.

This begins with auditioning and selecting the cast, working with them to interrogate the script and thereby gaining an understanding of the author’s intentions in writing the play.

Building on this through rehearsals and further discussions, the characters emerge whom we hope will engage and entertain our audience.

Challenges arose from finding the right balance between the poignant dramatic scenes and the rich comedic sections while being mindful of subtle and sudden mood changes.

However, the director and the actors overcame these challenges with the help of “good actors, plenty of rehearsals, and good discussions”.

Laura mentions that a highlight of 2025 for the Rathfarnham Theatre Group was when they performed ‘Dublin Saunter’ in the Harold’s Cross Hospice for Culture Night.

This was a “journey through poetry, drama, readings, and music—capturing the spirit, humour, and soul of Dublin,” according to Laura.

2026 will also be a special year for the group as they celebrate their 35th anniversary as a community-based amateur drama group.

Initially their productions were staged in St Mary’s Boys’ school, but over time they have diversified and now stage productions in several venues.

In 2026 they will start with ‘No Romance: A Desperate Business’ in January 2026 followed by two more main productions in dlr Mill Theatre in April and November 2026.

Two new directors are joining the group to direct productions in May or June 2026. They also hope to take part in Culture Night in September 2026.

Laura would like to thank Nancy Harris for granting the rights to perform the show and the dlr Mill Theatre in Dundrum for giving them the space to perform, as well as the director, cast, crew, sponsors, and friends of Rathfarnham Theatre Group.

Finally, she would like to thank the Echo for “providing us with this platform to advertise our play”.

‘No Romance: A Desperate Business’ will be performed in the dlr Mill Theatre Dundrum from January 21 to 23; be sure to see it if you can.