REVIEW: The Man in The Woman’s Shoes

You may have never been to Sligo, in fact you may never have even been to Ireland, but after an hour and a half with Pat Farnan, you will feel truly immersed in a rural Irish community. An intentionally sentimental piece, Mikel Murfi embodies a town to allow the audience get to know Pat.

Written by Mikel Murfi, The Man in The Woman’s Shoes  at Tricycle Theatre was originally commissioned by Bealtine, an Irish festival celebrating creativity among the aging. Murfi spent a month drinking tea to excess while collecting local legends and stories from around Sligo.  Each and every person that contributed to this project can be felt in the room, as the audience are immersed in a nearby town and its surrounding area. The Man in The Woman’s Shoes has received critical acclaim and won several awards including the Stewart Parker BBC Radio Drama Award.

[IMAGE: Kate Morley PR] The Man In The Woman’s Shoes at The Tricycle Theatre. Photo Credit: Mark Douet

Pat brings us along as he makes his way into town with a couple of pairs of shoes that need to be returned to their owners. Along the way Murfi transforms into Pat’s acquaintances and leads his encounters. From the endearing and beautiful waitress in the hotel to the five foot nothing diviner with no neck; Murfi’s ability to physical evolve into each character creates the town and brings it alive on stage.  Much like the triadic God that Pat nonetheless casts aside as nonsense, there are many different versions of Pat the towns people meet, but only the audience get to know the real Pat.

Murfi’s approach to storytelling through physical transformation, altered voices, sound effects, with aspects of mime create an entire village on the stage at Tricycle Theatre. You will be brought into the intimate world that is Pat Farnan’s – expect a lot of laughs, with some tears from this remarkably touching show.

Tricycle Theatre until Sat 23 Apr 2016
Tickets from £16

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