“It was my mother who inspired the musical in the first place. It was very sad when she died, but she was content in herself. She was ready for death — not in a dark way, but because she had a sense of satisfaction with her life.”
Director, playwright and composer Seán Óg Ó Duinnín describes the inspiration behind his new Irish-language comedic musical, An tÉalú (The Escape ).
Both Seán and the drama society Cumann Léirithe Bhéal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh come from the Múscraí Gaeltacht in County Cork. Audiences in Galway will have the opportunity to see their latest production at the Town Hall Theatre on August 29.
Although the musical is in Irish, it will be fully subtitled and audience members can enjoy the production regardless of their proficiency in the language.
Set in the Lios Álainn nursing home, the story follows indefatigable pensioner Síle, who refuses to yield to the authority of the home's management and becomes determined to escape. Although the musical is comedic, it also addresses issues that are very serious and deeply personal to Seán.
“I wanted to look at that theme: how we deal with our elders, with our older relatives who want to be independent," he says.
“Are we looking at them as a problem? A large part of the inspiration for this came from the fact that my mother spared us that. She was independent and compos mentis right up to the final day.
“She spent a very short period of time — one night — in hospital, and she jumped out of bed when she was given permission to go home, even though she was still ill. I'm very interested in the independence she showed."
Reflecting on our relationships
The production invites audiences to reconsider their relationships with elderly relatives from a variety of perspectives.
“That song, Gnóthach (Busy ), was the first one I wrote. It's a word that used to bother me when my mother was alive,” says Seán. “So often I'd be on the phone and she'd ask me, ‘Are you busy?’
“Sometimes there'd be a problem with the television, or the water, or something else, and I'd have to say, ‘Look, Mom, I'm busy, I can't sort it out over the phone.’”
The musical also references the imbalances that can exist in the relationship between parent and child — parents are often more concerned about their children than the other way around.
“The thing is, with my parents, if I rang them in the middle of the night and asked them to do anything — to drive to Belfast, for example — they'd do it for me. That's the other side of the balance that we forget about,” says Seán.
“There are a couple of lines where Síle is speaking to this businessman who has just made this mea culpa about always being busy. The first thing she says is, ‘Your mother is proud of you — be sure of that.’”
The drama also explores the darker aspects of ageing and touches on the vulnerability and powerlessness that many older people experience in their relationships with their children.
“That's a very dark reading of things, but there are families where grandparents are afraid to say anything because they won't get to see their grandchildren,” says Seán.
Furthermore, Seán is unafraid to draw on tragic events from his own life for artistic inspiration. In one scene in the musical, the story of a woman who has struggled with fertility issues is told. She reveals that shortly after giving birth following IVF treatment, her partner died suddenly.
“That's my story. That happened to me with my first wife. We had been married for nearly 10 years, and my daughter was 10 weeks old when she died suddenly,” says Seán.
“I think the main reason this has been successful, and why it affects people, is because the emotions are real. I didn't hold back from any of it.
“We weren't trying to be clever. We weren't trying to be sophisticated about the story. I wanted it to be truthful.”
An tÉalú is also one of the only amateur productions in Ireland where every aspect of the musical — the story, the script and the music — is entirely original, and it is clear that this is very important to Seán.
“Tradition and culture have to change,” he says. “That's one of the reasons I write. I hope there'll be new material in the repertoire. I want there to be new songs in the Múscraí area, and further afield, that become part of people's lives."
From the lighting and stage management to the subtitles, everything is produced to a professional standard, and the band even includes a string quartet.
“We've created a unique experience of a very high standard. But it's the local people who have made it possible,” says Seán.
“Communities have this potential. One of the big things for me is that other communities would see what can be done. This isn't the sort of thing that's only for London or Broadway. We can do it ourselves.”
Tickets for An tÉalú are now available and can be purchased on www.tht.ie
