I love when you don’t really know what you’re going to, a play, a band, it doesn’t matter, you haven’t researched, you have no preconceived notions of what the night ahead is about to hold. You’re open to a sensory adventure.
Rough Magic Theatre Company’s production of Improbable Frequency definitely brought me on an adventure, right back to World War II, or The Emergency as it was known here, where a British code breaker is assigned to Dublin by the British government to investigate what’s going on with some illegal broadcasting. There are no weather forecasts on the BBC as this just might give the Germans an edge for planning an attack, so Tristram Faraday (Peter Hanly), goes undercover to find out what’s going on.
Improbable Frequency is a comedy told through the magic of song and it beautifully blends the two. As Faraday tries to uncover the truth, he happens upon another spy posing as a poet, an old flame and physicist, Erwin Schrodinger. It is Dublin after all, anything can happen.
There are some magnificent scenes in the play and it is cleverly told around a bar of a pub, which doubles up for Schrodinger’s use later on. Comedy can be quite subjective but this hits many nails on the head and at one point, through the help of dramatic lighting, explains the Irish religiousness behind a pint and a packet of crisps.
Not giving away little pointers here is a terrible task. So, how does one describe it? Goodnight Sweetheart meets Dr Who with a dash of Father Ted and a nod to German Impressionism. Improbable Frequency simply is a must see piece of theatre.
Improbable Frequency runs until March 24th at The Gaiety