Taking the Fifth

Fans of Irish literature will be interested in a play that’s coming to Birmingham.

Acclaimed theatrical event Journey to the Fifth Province features actor Donal Cox and Celtic harper Harriet Earis in a feast of words and music, laced with insight, humour and emotion. More magical than a play and more personal than a concert, this production has something to say to everyone as it weaves together story, character and landscape.

The Irish Embassy acknowledges the show’s value in reaching out to successive generations of Irish people who have uprooted to the UK, reconnecting them with their cultural roots. The show plays at Birmingham Irish Centre on Weds 18 April, during a pioneering UK tour supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Inspired by the special place of story and poetry in Irish tradition, Donal Cox draws on Ireland’s written heritage to create a dramatic narrative in the classical Irish manner that lies between seriousness and playfulness. Exceptional musician Harriet Earis, twice Harper of all Britain, provides thrilling music to accompany a journey to what W B Yeats called “the deep heart’s core.” Extracts from the show, which debuted at the 2011 Irish Writers Festival in London. were enthusiastically received in Birmingham during this year’s St Patrick’s Festival and the show has received rave reviews wherever it has played..

Though Ireland today comprises just four distinct provinces, writers have long made reference to the existence of a fifth located somewhere other than the everyday world. The show invites audiences to seek for themselves just what and where it might be. The production takes a joyful and perceptive look at where we have come from, where we find ourselves now and what might inspire us in the face of an uncertain future.

Tickets £10/£8. For more details, click on www.fifthprovinceproductions.org.uk