Colm O’Grady stars in ‘The Lonesome Boatsman’
Photography by Peter Martin
Colm’s latest venture ‘The Lonesome Boatman’
“I SAW a news report on a big flood in India; a newly wedded couple were floating in a big aluminium basin.”
This is what Colm O’Grady has to say about the inspiration for his latest venture, ‘The Lonesome Boatman’, which brings the incredible adventures of Buttons to the Civic.
Buttons is a corrupt local politician who gets into his bath and sails away on the rising tides.
Upon this wonderful voyage, Buttons battles with the sea, the elements and his ego (which is a kind of monster).
Colm continues regarding the mentioned image “It stayed with me, inspired by the tragicomedy of the situation I wrote the first song for the show, then it grew organically like a pumpkin…that turned into a golden carriage?!”
‘The Lonesome Boatman’ is an outstanding circus theatre show for family audiences; a musical clown odyssey, which explores the themes of climate change in a humorous but thought-provoking way.
In the seemingly simplistic setting of a bathtub, a multi-layered theatrical seascape is created while simultaneously creating a powerful redemption arc.
Combining magical realism with circus techniques such as object manipulation, juggling and trapeze to create a unique narrative and poetic universe.
The story navigates through many epic states, events and emotions, increasingly propelled by the elements.
This original show features bespoke compositions in addition to traditional music, which is performed with live instrumentation that includes the banjolele, bodhrán, tin whistle, spoons, and musical saw.
After this performance, Colm is touring Ireland and Europe this summer with his festival show ‘O!’ and ‘Cabaret UNO’, his indoor and outdoor show; “next stop is the South of France.”
‘The Lonesome Boatman’ performs in the Civic at 4pm on June 22; be sure not to miss out!
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