Bad Daters and Good Cheaters: Shows written and directed by Ballyfermot’s Derek Murphy
‘The Bad Daters’ & ‘The Good Cheaters’ are shows written and directed by New York-based Derek Murphy, originally from Ballyfermot, by Ryan Butler.
Both shows feature comedian Brian Gallagher, resident MC of Dublin’s Laughter Lounge, and actress Sarah Maria Lafferty.
‘The Bad Daters’ recently had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it received five-star critical acclaim and a sold-out run.
Lafferty, a Dublin-based actor and producer, began her work on both shows when she was introduced to Derek Murphy in 2016 during a theatre workshop in New York.
Lafferty’s co-star, Brian Gallagher, is well known as the resident MC at Dublin’s Laughter Lounge, a rising star in the Irish comedy circuit, previously opening for Tommy Tiernan at Vicar Street.
This week, we sat down with Derek to discuss ‘The Bad Daters’ & ‘The Good Cheaters’, which take place at The Viking Theatre from April 8– 20.
What inspired the premise for this show?
I liked the idea of two people on a date who shouldn’t be on a date.
I thought there was something really special about two people who are completely unsuited for one another at first glance and have to learn to connect and complement each other through time and effort.
They are going on a date because he promised to do something to someone many years ago, and this is his way of making good on that promise.
Her sister, who is concerned about her because she is extremely socially anxious, has forced her to go on the date because she wants her to get over her fear and put herself out there.
They are polar opposites at first, but as time progresses, they start to realize they may be more compatible than they originally thought.
I think that is a really interesting concept to explore.
Did your Ballyfermot upbringing have an influence on your writing and directing style?
Oh yeah, definitely!
It was certainly an interesting place to grow up.
I feel I have Ireland to thank for my taste in dark comedy.
That’s one of many reasons I’m glad to be back here, because here we can write jokes that we wouldn’t be able to get away with in America.
I feel that considering the circumstances we’ve come from, we’ve developed quite thick skin and therefore we generally have quite a morbid sense of humour.
I picked this up from my time in Ballyfermot, and I am really happy to convey that with this double bill.
Were there any particular highlights or challenges you ran into during production?
Well, comedy is really difficult to do compared to drama, so that was a bit of a challenge.
We held our opening in Edinburgh in August, and thankfully, we got positive reviews from that audience.
However, I remember a few of them raising concerns that they didn’t really understand the Irish slang and dialogue, which just shows the cultural divide.
But of course recently, we have been performing to Irish audiences who love it too, with the added bonus that they could always understand what the characters were saying and could relate to it because they were thinking, “That’s like what so and so down the road talks like!”.
Irish slang is best enjoyed and related to by the Irish-based people because, while the Scottish audience may have enjoyed the show, and I am so grateful for that, the Irish could understand the mannerisms more, which would have added to their appreciation of it.
When presenting your work to the public, do you still feel nervous?
I feel like to have written something and be presenting it to an audience, you would have to be pretty confident.
I’m sure everyone is still at least a little bit nervous, but you would want to be pretty confident in your writing overall.
Personally, I’d be more nervous about people not coming to see it!
The writing is easy for me; I would be more worried about if I will have an audience to present it to or not.
However, I have been really lucky to have such a great cast of Irish actors that have been with me from day 1 of this production, doing a great job of portraying the story I want to tell.
We’ve all developed quite a connection with each other throughout all this, and we have nice chemistry.
It makes my job easier!
What are your plans after this string of performances is over?
I’m planning to take the show to a couple more venues in Dublin, such as the Civic in Tallaght and the Axis Ballymun (I’ve performed there before and really enjoyed it.)
I’m also hoping to make it a national tour while we’re at it and take it around the country.
The counties that stand out for me are Galway, Wexford, and Belfast.
The writing is easy, but producing it, getting everything set up, and picking the most suitable locations are always a bit of a struggle.
We’ll see how it goes anyway!
Who would you like to thank for helping you with this production?
I doubt I could have gotten here without Ray Yeates, who has been in the theatre world as a writer and director for over thirty years and was a lifesaver as far as knowledge, advice, and sheer know-how were concerned.
I met him in New York a few years ago when he was over doing a play, and I’ve been annoying him ever since.
I also couldn’t have done it without my agent, Melissa Nolan, my two actors, Brian Gallagher and Sarah Maria Lafferty, and Colin McGhee, who has been a wonderful friend to my plays and the people involved.
