FANS of Belle & Sebastian are familiar with Catherine Ireton’s vocal and performance beauty over a five year melodious stint together. The Castletroy woman, based along the Brighton-Hove coast this long time, went on to become a theatre maker who drives critics and audiences to rapture.
Her new show, ‘for all the fires not yet lit’, will premier in Belltable this Thursday 28 to Saturday 30. Then it burns along a UK and Ireland circuit for a lengthy tour – 15 venues.
Ireton acts, sings and plays piano in this endearing solo. Its focus is on the courage required of a nervy, imminent bride: her fear is public speaking at the wedding’s top table.
Any biographical note to this, we wonder? She chuckles over the phone: “all the fires not yet lit’ was written before I met my partner, now my fiancé. [Rehearsals] are getting very interesting and I’m constantly drawing on my own experiences… While I am on stage for a living, I am more likely to be the quiet person in the room”.
She lucked out working with director Joanna Bowen for the project. “Joanna is a comedienne, performer and actor who used to work with Joanna Lumley, and Jennifer Saunders. She directed Ruby Wax’s last show. ‘A Sane New World’ and has real comic timing that she helped me to bring out.”
Acclaim has not budged her loyalty to home. Catherine Ireton reels off the stage schools she came up through with affection and “I feel like I owe Limerick a lot.”
Back to play time. Credit to Ed Briggs who composed the soundtrack that works with kitchen equipment (ask not) and keyboard. “I wanted it to be musically led but with a strong narrative.” Given her passion for storytelling and memorable lyrics, that’s no surprise.
Poor Claire catastrophises over the speech challenge, her meltdown such “that she envisions her entire death.” Obsessive of how she is perceived, the self-limits become seriously limiting.
Book to witness what fate befalls Claire after wedding bells ring on www.limetreetheatre.ie
