Seeing a Solas Nua production is a lot like getting to ride the biggest baddest rollercoaster without having to go to a big, impersonal amusement park. This is theatre that is so up front and personal that you find yourself totally immersed in the characters and their out of control ride through Dublin nightlife.
Dan Brick and Eric Messner take this play in their bloody grasp and before you know it, have you holding on to your seat as The Howie Lee and The Rookie Lee tell you a bruising story of scabies and dead beta fighting fish that will have you laughing one minute and hiding under your seat the next.
Mark O’Rowe’s play Howie The Rookie is a brutal but funny narrative of two men, revenge and survival. Survival from beatings, scabies and the possibility of being shot in the knees are only a sample of the pitfalls that confront these two young hooligans. Colorful dialog that is laugh out loud funny and full of biting sarcastic wit will keep you riveted to your seat. Not for the faint of heart, Brick and Messner describe a seedy Dublin underbelly chock full of stimulating characters that thrive on confrontation and intermediation.
There is minimal staging, a darkened room with a mirrored wall that reflects some interesting lighting effects. The sound design was a wash of racing cars and wild party beats that sometimes struggled over the noisy Warehouse ventilation system. Not to worry because your attention will be on the cast’s storytelling anyway.
Solas Nua and director Linda Murray have their collective fingers on the pulse of what is exciting and entertaining in edgy, in your face theatre. More than just another small theatre company, Solas Nua has, in a very short time captured much of what is great about seeing theatre in a small intimate setting in the District. Rated B for Brilliant this is a play you should see before it closes.
HOWIE THE ROOKIE AT THE WAREHOUSE SECOND STAGE, 1021 7th STREET, N.W.
runs January 11th through February 5th , Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm.
Pay-What-You-Can-Performance on Wednesday, January 11th. Tickets are $20.00 general admission and $15.00 for students and seniors. Tickets
can be purchased at www.solasnua.org or 1.800.494.TIXS or by phone (202.595.1915) or at the door.