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Absolut Fringe review: Group Therapy for One

Last evening I saw one of the most interesting shows I’ve seen at Absolut Fringe thus far. It’s Group Therapy for One by a young and exciting theatre company called TheatreClub.

“Shane’s a bit fucked up. He wants us all to go to his gaff, where he’s holding an inquest into his life. With the bravado of his father and the softness of his mother, he will tell you things he doesn’t want you to know. Some say he’s comedy gold. Other’s think he’s self-indulgent. Why don’t you decide? If you’re lucky, he might even invite you to his 21st!”

Group Therapy for One

So we meet as directed on O’Connell Bridge where we’re then taken by bus to Shane’s house by a few of his friends, including the director of the show. We’re given an introduction to who Shane is, or rather the good side and attributes of Shane as a counter-balance to the meeting with Shane where we will hear about his problems.

Arriving at Shane’s house, we are brought into the “first kitchen”, a compact and intimate setting for a cuppa let a lone a group therapy session of 15 people. For the next hour, Shane wrestles with his various demons many of which anyone else in their 20′s and indeed beyond will identify with. Despite his problems he is bright, ambitious, funny, charismatic, has a wonderful way with words and a very simple but poignant motivation for conducting these therapy sessions.

The show runs for another 3 nights and I don’t want to give away any more suffice to say I found it to be a refreshing, thought-provoking and engaging piece of theatre. If you happen to have tickets, well I think you’re in for a treat. Unfortunately, if you don’t it has already completely sold out.  But if you’d like to know more about Shane, skip along to about 3 mins into this video where Darragh talks to him at the launch of Absolut Fringe.