Drama Group enjoy success with 'Anyone Could Rob A Bank'

EVER think you could concoct a plan to successfully rob a bank?

That was the basis of the plot of CRK Drama Group's 2024 production, which had a very successful run in Carrig & Riverstown Community Hall last week.

Tom Coffey's play 'Anyone Could Rob A Bank' was their offering this year and it provided a wealth of laughs for full houses over the three nights.

An outline of a plan of how, in theory, a bank could be robbed successfully, suddenly became reality and questions quickly arise as to who pulled off the daring raid.

A strong cast gave an fine performance of the play and the mayhem that ensued when it is discovered that someone had actually followed the theoretical plan to rob the bank.

The group are back for one more night this Thursday December 5th at 8pm in Carrig & Riverstown Community Hall!! Tickets available now on (089) 4756379.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the cast and crew had to cancel Sunday night’s performance, but are now delighted to announce that it has been rescheduled for this Thursday night!

The play is set in a 1970s kitchen and it must be said the set excellently depicted that era. It had a lovely old dresser, the range at the heart of the kitchen, the old wireless, Sacred Heart picture and similar touches all added to its' authenticity. With the stairs and doors leading to the various other rooms, it was like many another kitchen of that era.

The kitchen is located behind Badger Grey's shop and he lives with his wife and daughter, Sarah and Noreen, his brother Jereen and nephew Mickey. Neighbour Windy is a regular caller as is Noreen's boyfriend, The Sergeant. An out of town lodger, Tony, arrives and takes up residence in one of the rooms in the house.

At the same time Badger reads in a national paper about an unsuccessful bank robbery in Dublin and offers the opinion that if common sense was used anyone could rob a bank. He outlines a scenario to Jereen and Windy indicating how he thinks the local bank could be robbed. Lo and behold a couple of days later the bank is robbed and when it emerges that the method used followed the plan outlined by Badger, all three begin to blame each other for carrying out the robbery. The mayhem then begins to unfold as the stolen money turns up in the house and they agree to follow the same plan to put the money back in the bank! All does not run smoothly before the culprit is finally unmasked and delivered a knock out blow!

The play was a bit of a slow burner as the scene was set and characters established in the first act but the pace picked up in the second and third acts as the action began to unfold and the antics begin to become more madcap and the laughs increased. Occasionally it was a little difficult down the hall to hear a few of the characters but overall they all performed well and by the end of the play they were all in full flow.

Director Brendan Hanamy is an old hand at this stage in directing comedies of this nature and knows how to get the best out of his cast. The characters in this play were all well defined and once the action really kicked off it moved well. Even on opening night there were only minimal little blips and everyone was fully prepared with the result that we got a great production.

Michael Hayes was excellent in the role of Badger. He has a commanding presence on stage and his acting and overall demeanour lead you to fully believe in this character. He combined well with the other characters in a strong performance.

His wife Sarah was played by Maria Harding. Sarah is rather forgetful and ansent-minded and Maria depicted this perfectly. Her timing and delivery were spot on and added to the enjoyment of this performance.

Their daughter Noreen was played by Emma O'Rourke. Noreen is young and loves music and dancing and getting out and having fun and Emma captured those chacteristics perfectly and showed great confidence and assurance on stage.

The roles of Jereen and Windy, Badger's two 'accomplices' in his hypothetical plan to rob a bank, were played by Declan Murray and Joe Hynes respectively. Declan played the role very well, he captured the essence of the character and his acting skills were very much to the fore in getting the maximum out of the comedy element of the role.

Joe also did a good job and linked very well with the other two characters. He came across well in the role of Windy, who was called that for a reason, in a solid all round performance.

Barry Deane played the part of the Sergeant and he certainly look the part anyway. He was strong and forceful in the role and was determined to solve the crime. Noreen might have been a bit more of a handful for him as she wanted a bit more excitement in their lives and Barry handled that element of the character well also.

The out of town lodger who came to stay was Tony, who was played by Damian Nowicki. Nobody knew a lot about this young businessman but Noreen quickly took a shine to him. Suspicions began to rise about his reasons for visiting the town and Damian portrayed the role well and grew into the part as became more confident as the play progressed.

Badger's nephew Mickey is training to be a boxer and Dylan Hogan gave a lovely portrayal of this character. His actions and movement added to the role and he delivered the knock out blow in the end.

By the end of the night, everyone was thoroughly entertained and went home with a smile on their face.

Cast

Noreen – Emma O'Rourke; Badger – Michael Hayes; Sarah – Maria Harding; Tony – Damian Nowicki; Jereen – Declan Murray; Windy – Joe Hynes; The Sergeant – Barry Deane; Mickey – Dylan Hogan.

Production Team

Director – Brendan Hanamy; Producer – Barry Deane; Stage Manager – Lisa Deane; Set Design – Mark McDowall, Brendan Hanamy; Set Construction – Nigel Keeshan, Mick Collins, Eddie Doorley, Tony Dargan, Tadhg Sullivan; Painting – Liam O'Meara, Louise Bergin, Mary King; Continuity – Ruth Scully; Lights & Sound – Monica Dynan; Make-up – Edel Pey, Sinead Bergin; CRK Drama Committee – Claire Deane, Barry Deane, Michelle Parnell-Smyth, Sylvia Kelly, Orla Sullivan, Tony Doorley.