Tir Nan Og

Tir Nan Og is Paradise, the land of eternal youth. Although, in Oran MorE!’s dystopian musical fairytale, Tir Nan Og is not located where we might think. These storytellers are clearly not believers in a mystical, faraway land.

Blood-thirsty brigand, Black Dog, is conning Joe and Josie Public that he can give them a new life in Tir Nan Og. But they must pawn all they own to pay for the privilege. Wafts of indoctrination abound as the story’s heroine is thrown overboard Black Dog’s ship by a baying mob, all for calling Neil Diamond a c**t (‘This is for Neil Diamond’, they cry). Prior to this our heroine had created a hallucinatory reason – the non-existent perpetually singing neighbour – to leave her devoted lover and had ended up ‘flogging her fanny’ or ‘trading her tush’ in Amsterdam.

In fact, our heroine tries several new lifestyles and unsuccessfully labels various places as ‘home’. The point appears to be that the grass is not always greener, and that instead we have to work hard at what we’ve got. This in itself is not a new message, but innovation in the musical presentation means we do not have a wasted journey.

Tir Nan Og is at times beautiful, at times sad and at times surprisingly coarse. I’m not sure, though, that all elements join together adequately to form one absolutely cohesive whole. The musical riffs can be repetitive and, while, jaunty, are occasionally irritating. And the audience are now and again left wondering who is talking to whom, where and – most importantly – why.

Worth a look if there’s a gap in your viewing schedule. But, with all that’s on offer at the Fringe, I’d be inclined to prioritise other hotly-tipped shows over this one.