THIS IS nothing like you've seen before.
"Ireland, 1966. Joe Welch, a skipper, sails into Dingle Bay with a very unusual catch...what follows is a ridiculous series of events, involving Eamon De Valera, Queen Elizabeth and whole lot of nuns."
You'd be forgiven for thinking that this sounds like something out of a Blindboy Boatclub book, but it is a completely factual piece of Irish history, where a fisherman goes to every length to ensure that the Royal Sturgeon he just caught does not end up in the hands of the Queen of England.
And now that piece of history has been immortalised in the form of a musical comedy by RedFox theatre, starring four incredibly talented people.
We went to see Catch of The Day in London's VAULTS festival, and left an hour later feeling weak from laughter.
Callum McGuire, Jonty Weston, Anna McCormick and Ben Simon took to the stage where they told the equal-parts fascinating and ridiculous story in a way that constantly switched from almost slapstick humour to political digs, laughing at ourselves while also showcasing some of the best parts about being Irish.
Just as your sides hurt from laughing, the actors would suddenly turn the atmosphere on its head with a display of musical and vocal talent, allowing the actors to showcase their talent without impacting on the fun nature of the show.
The four characters played everything from fishermen to local villagers to Queen Elizabeth herself-- but watching them transform into a thoroughly convincing gaggle of nuns was a definite highlight of the evening.
The actors, along with director Megan Jenkins, deserve recognition for telling such a big story with minimal props-- clever lighting, original tape recordings and even the regular sound of the trains rattling overhead the venue were all expertly used to accentuate the story.
You might want to know a bit about Irish culture and history to truly appreciate this show, but Catch of the Day has something in it for everyone, telling an already insane story in a brilliantly unique way-- it gets a five-star rating from us.
Sturgeon Story / Catch of the Day (RedFox Theatre)If the fantastic reaction from the mixed crowd in an underground venue in London is anything to go by, the show is sure to get a roaring reception when it returns to its birthplace of Kerry for a three-week run this summer-- check out tickets here.
And if the story of the Royal Sturgeon has piqued your interest, RTÉ produced a radio documentary on the event-- you can find that here.
