WHILE the pubs and living rooms of Ireland and every other country well up to view ‘The Rose of Tralee’ competition, not every onlooker is admiring. Sure, the women (‘girls’ is just a bit diminishing for working professionals and MBA/IWAMD graduates) might be interesting, beautiful, accomplished and gorgeously gowned or not. The truth is that a competition to elect the finest Rose in all that lands is a competition that excludes married women, mothers and anyone over the ripe old age of 27. That raises eyebrows and a chortle.
Ambivalent feelings aside as to the international nations’ finest as elected by the Kerry festival, hark unto Savoy Theatre Lunchtime feature on Thursday August 30, Friday 31.
“Our August production is ‘Zocorro Rose of Tralee’, a show I worked on when it came to Loft Venue two years,” reports Pius McGrath, one of the Savoy Lunchtime Theatre producers. “Zocorro packed out over the three nights. It’s a one woman show written and acted by Eleanor Bethancourt during which she wears a mask throughout. Eleanor plays Zocorro who comes over from Spain as the Spanish Rose to fulfil her grandmother’s dying wish. It’s an hour long crazy rollercoaster of laughs and Zocorro gets up to a lot, including a urine test on stage to proof her femininity and her Irish-ness”.
Expect some flamenco flirting, the slip-sliding of her fabulous green dress and clichéd homage and ham to notions of nationality. Zocorro has a mission.
We can hazard our guess as to what over the Savoy’s excellent soup, sandwiches, service and this sweet bit of theatre: €10 and doors 12.45pm. www.facebook.com/lunchtheatre and Twitter @lunchtheatre.
