Castel Gandolfo, new play by Jim Nolan, revolves around the cataclysmic exposure of a Waterford family’s deepest and most secret wounds.
‘Water under the bridge, Rose. Twenty-five years of it. Whatever happened . . . ’
If only it were so easy to forget. In the backyard of Castel Gandolfo, a decaying terraced house in Waterford’s inner city, Tony (‘the sixth Beatle’) is restoring the vintage car he hoped he’d have ready to take his father in on one last excursion but he’s in a coma. His sister Rose is about to lose her job in the Snow White Launderette, his daughter Stella is thinking of dropping out of college without finishing her Law degree. His mother Dolly appears — as does another family member — and suddenly the long suppressed facts of their lives need to be aired. In Jim Nolan’s latest, enthralling instalment of the chronicles of his native city the question for each of the characters is whether they can live up to Stella’s wisdom: ‘The past doesn’t go away. But you don’t have to stay chained to it either.’
The premiere of Four Rivers’ Castel Gandolfo, directed by Ben Barnes (Artistic Director of Four Rivers), takes place Garter Lane Theatre on 4 October 2024 with the following cast: Carrie Crowley, Michael Power, Garrett Lombard, Sarah Madigan and Elishka Lane.
