by Gary Mitchell
May 13-18, 2013 (also 9-23 Sept, 2013 at The Lyric Theatre) | The Playhouse, Derry
Reviewed by Jane Coyle on 14 May
There is a delicious sense of Groundhog Day at the re-emergence on stage of Dave, Pete, Humper and Alison, the central characters of Gary Mitchell's pulsating 1999 play Energy. But that sensation is far from delicious for the quartet themselves, for whom, to put it mildly, life has not been kind.
Photo: GC PhotographicsMitchell's keenly anticipated sequel Re-Energize fast-forwards the action 30 years, building on the affection and nostalgia generated by its forerunner and catching up with the four members of a has-been band, now struggling to keep their heads above water in the changing times of the so-called 'new Northern Ireland'. What remains undiminished at the core of their derelict existences is their devotion to punk music and to their unfulfilled, covert aspirations to get out there and prove it can still speak powerfully to and for the people. read complete review