Lourdes Transformed at Dublin Theatre Festival with Bold Visuals and Cutting-edge Productions

At this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival, the vibrant musical Lourdes! The Musical shines as a refreshing antidote to the festival’s serious themes of racism and conflict. Created by Xnthony Ltd, known for their previous work Oliver Cromwell Is Really Very Sorry, this production explores the enchanting yet complex world of Lourdes, often described as “a holy Blackpool” and “a divine Las Vegas,” through the eyes of five unexpected travelers.

The narrative centers around singer-songwriter Matthew, played by Riain Cash, whose dreams of Los Angeles come crashing down after an HIV diagnosis in 2008. Returning to his village in “Countryland,” he joins a parish drama group, bringing a musical about Saint Bernadette to Lourdes. Through the overlapping narratives of this show-within-a-show, the musical cleverly combines various genres, with lyrics by Xnthony and a score by Matthew Floyd Jones that features pop, club beats, and soulful ballads. Directed by Sarah Meadows, the outstanding ensemble—including Iestyn Arwel as a witty priest, Nichola MacEvilly and Danielle James as a mother and her transgender daughter, and Molly Lynch as an enthusiastic tour manager—masterfully navigates the tonal shifts in the music.

As neon signs invite them to “please wait for a miracle,” each character reveals their personal motivations for visiting the Marian shrine steeped in both kitsch and reverence. Although they each hold varying degrees of Catholic faith, the exploration of these complexities could have been more challenging if set in contemporary times. Instead of relying on a sarcastic lens, Xnthony’s sensitive and poetic writing permits themes of mortality, regret, and grief to resonate deeply with the audience.

Another notable production, Heroes of Tomorrow, receives a three-star rating and comes from the innovative Brokentalkers. Co-directed by Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan, this collaboration with British artist Andy Smith dives into the intersection of art and activism, weaving connections across time and geography to illustrate that progress is rarely straightforward.

In this conceptual piece, delivered through a detached narrative by Alice Roots, Michael Tient, and Malua Ní Chléirigh, the audience encounters a fictional Norwegian artist named Jan Hansen, commissioned to create a work for three global tech corporations. The performance raises important questions about the purity of art versus its corporate financial backers, with the performers engaging in playful techniques that blur the lines between performance and conceptual art.

A poignant exploration of a lesser-known geopolitical anomaly unfolds in Zinc, rated four stars, from Dead Centre. The production shines a light on Neutral Moresnet, a tiny territory once prized for its zinc mines, addressing themes of nationality and identity as its residents experienced shifting allegiances among European powers. Based on the writings of Belgian philosopher David Van Reybrouck, the piece reflects the life of Joseph Rixen, born in this fascinating enclave in 1903.

Co-directors Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel, along with an impressive international cast, use this historical backdrop to humorously revisit the 1815 Congress of Vienna, delving into experiences of exile and the loss of native languages. This multilingual work combines video mapping, sound design, and rich allusions to the nature of theater itself, ultimately leading to a commentary on the exploitation of neutral territories.

The performance boldly engages with the idea of Esperanto as a model for a hopeful, neutral language with a utopian vision—literally meaning “nowhere.” This innovative take on identity, art, and politics serves not only as a reflection of history but also as an invitation for contemporary discussions on globalization and displacement.