4 – 8 March

This was a sell-out show last night at The Wardrobe Theatre, and deservedly so, for Clare Murphy is a remarkably gifted storyteller who has dug deep into the darkest corners of Celtic myth and legend to find tales of long-forgotten deities and of heroes with supernatural powers. The title of the show hints that her material might be decidedly bawdy, but while her stories are certainly for grown-ups, they are chiefly memorable for their sense of fun, their strange beauty, and for the beguiling way in which she brings each tale to life.

With no props and no technical trickery, this is theatre pared back to its earliest form. Murphy is part of that great oral tradition that dates back long before the growth of literacy, when tales were passed down through the generations by storytellers who relied on memory, not the printed word. Tales changed with each re-telling, and there is more than a touch of that fluidity in this performance, as she engages very directly and spontaneously with her audience: ‘There’s no fourth wall here!’

Dressed casually, and barefoot, her weird and wonderful stories are expressed with a sprightly, supple physicality that matches the rhythm and the twists and turns of the narrative. The language employs a range of poetic devices, not the least being repetition. So, whenever the tales feature a vigorous carnal embrace, and they often do, she uses the same animalistic image to depict it. Eventually the audience anticipates the phrase, merrily chorusing ‘Like otters!’ the next time one such sensual encounter is described.

There is often a kind of no-nonsense wisdom in the ancient myths she recounts. We learn that Partholón, one of the first kings of Ireland, had an adulterous, unrepentant wife called Delgnat who told her husband that when he left her alone with her handsome servant Topa, what did he expect? It was like leaving milk before a cat, or tools before a craftsman, so his stupidity was solely to blame for her misbehaviour!

The Spanking Goddess And Other Discarded Tales is packed with memorable images, my favourite being that of a fierce warrior forced, out of courtesy, to consume an enormous cauldron of porridge. I will long remember Clare Murphy’s vivid and very funny depiction of him struggling to eat the very last spoonful. This show is a superbly crafted and often deliciously naughty example of storytelling at its very best. Catch it if you can.

★★★★☆  Mike Whitton, 5 March 2025