“What’s the worst first date you’ve ever had?”
Following sold out runs in Cork and Waterford Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company present John Morton’s dark comedy TABOO
There was a boy and a girl and somehow, they met. Lily doesn’t get out much. Tom finds it hard to meet new people. And now they’re having their first date. Lily cooks a three-course meal. Tom brings flowers and wine.
On the surface, everything seems fine. But in the modern world, dating is a surprisingly complex thing with a lot of unwritten rules. There are certain things you shouldn’t do on a first date. And then there are certain things you shouldn’t do at all.
“Red ’n Blue Theatre Company have taken this two-hander and turned it into a wonderful piece of comic yet tragic, hilarious yet poignant, dramatic tour de force.” – John Arnold, The Echo Newspaper
“Taboo at the Theatre Royal is a sparkling new comedy from the pen of John Morton with two superb performances from the Red ‘n Blue team.” – Pat McEvoy, The Waterford News and Star
“The play never stands still for a second.” – Liam Murphy, The Munster Express
Warnings: Strong language, sexual references
WRITTEN BY John Morton
DEVISED BY Lisa Fox and John Morton
DIRECTED BY Dylan Kennedy and Shane Dempsey
SET DESIGN BY Jack Aherne and James Aherne
SOUND DESIGN BY John Morton and Dylan Kennedy
CAST
Jenny Fennessy – Lily
Dylan Kennedy – Tom
TICKETS €18 | €16 (student/OAP/unemployed)
RUNNING TIME 75 mins
*There will be a post-show discussion following the Tuesday evening performance of TABOO
About The Company
Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company was founded by husband and wife Dylan Kennedy and Jenny Fennessy. Their debut production, LOVESONG sold out 16 performances across Cork, Waterford and Dublin. It was nominated for 5 Waterford News and Star Green Room awards, including Outstanding Event of the Year, Best Play, Best Director and won awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Their second production, THE FLAGS was nominated for a further 6 Waterford News and Star Green Room awards and won Best Play of the Year 2022, Best Set and Best Supporting Actress (Jenny Fennessy). TABOO has been nominated for Best Play of the Year 2024, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor in the Waterford News and Star Green Room Awards.
Dylan Kennedy
Dylan Kennedy trained at The East 15 Acting School. His credits include, From Out the Land (Clonmel Junction Festival), The Last Stand, Amongst Men (Four Rivers), Philadelphia Here I Come (Donmar Warehouse), Katie Roche (Abbey Theatre), Our Tethered Kin (Broken Crow),Hansel in Hansel and Gretel (The National Theatre), The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), All Over Town (Project Arts Centre, Dublin), Peter Pan (National Theatre of Scotland),Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Puck in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream (Antic Disposition), Forever House (The Drum, Plymouth), Mind Walking (Band Bazi), Autumn Fire (Finborough Theatre), The Bay (Fragments Theatre). Dylan’s directing credits include Lovesong (Garter Lane, Civic Theatre, Cork Arts Theatre) and The Flags (Cork Arts Theatre and Garter Lane).
Jenny Fennessy
Jenny is an acting graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. TV credits include Call the Midwife (BBC) and The Doireann Project and Seriously, Sinéad? (RTE). Theatre credits include Greg Doran’s King Lear and Melly Still’s Cymbeline (Royal Shakespeare Company), Richard Eyre’s Liola (National Theatre, London), Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Gertrude in Hamlet and Emilia in Othello (Mill Productions), A Life (Finborough Theatre), The Flags (Cork Arts Theatre, Garter Lane) Lovesong (Garter Lane, Civic Theatre, Cork Arts Theatre), There’s Always Tomorrow and The Bus (Barnstorm Theatre Company), The Salvage Shop (Garter Lane), Riders to the Sea (Fractured Lines), King Lear, Macbeth and Othello (Theatre Royal).