Bookworms

Previewing at the Abbey right now and opening on Tue 1 June is the world premiere of a new play by Bernard Farrell – his 21st play, and the 11th to premiere at the Abbey. Farrell is a popular playwright with a light comic touch, whose plays inhabit the thorny territory of suburban middle-class angst – everything from self-help groups to aging parents – and in this latest work he turns his attention to the perennial pleasures and competitive tyrannies of the bookclub. Bookworms is directed by Jim Culleton with a cast that includes Deirdre Donnelly, Phelim Drew, Louis Lovett and Marion O’Dwyer, and among the creative team is fight director Paul Burke, so expect sparks to fly. www.abbeytheatre.ie