At the ongoing Dublin Theatre Festival, the production *Lourdes! The Musical* offers a lively exploration of hope, faith, and human vulnerability against the backdrop of the French pilgrimage town Lourdes. Created by the company Xnthony Ltd—known for their previous work *Oliver Cromwell Is Really Very Sorry*—the show uses a blend of pop, club beats, and soulful ballads to examine themes of illness, spirituality, and personal transformation.
Set in 2008, the narrative centers on Matthew, a singer-songwriter from a small village referred to as "Countryland," who, after an HIV diagnosis disrupts his dreams of moving to Los Angeles, channels his energy into participating in a parish drama group’s musical about Saint Bernadette. As the group travels to Lourdes, often described in the production as "a holy Blackpool" or "a divine Las Vegas," five disparate characters reveal their motivations for making the pilgrimage. The ensemble portrays figures including a wry priest, a terminally ill mother, her transgender daughter, and an enthusiastic tour manager, all of whom navigate a complex mix of religious faith, fear of death, and grief.
Directed by Sarah Meadows, the production uses neon signs instructing characters to "please wait for a miracle" as a motif to underscore the tension between the site’s commercialized veneer and its spiritual significance. Rather than adopting an ironic stance, the writing maintains a sensitive tone, allowing emotional depth to emerge alongside moments of levity.
Elsewhere at the festival, the Brokentalkers’ *Heroes of Tomorrow* addresses the interplay between art and activism through a multidisciplinary performance. Co-directed by Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan, with contributions from British artist Andy Smith, the show spans centuries and continents to connect historical moments of invention with exploitation and resistance. It reflects on themes of exile, displacement, and the loss of native languages, employing video mapping, projection, and layered sound design to create a richly textured experience.
As a co-production with Théâtre de Liège and one of the most ambitious efforts presented by Dead Centre, *Heroes of Tomorrow* interrogates the neutrality of geographical places, suggesting that sites once imagined as neutral become subject to exploitation and commodification. The performance also revisits the utopian political ideal of Esperanto as a hopeful, neutral language, emphasizing the potential for human connection beyond divisive borders.
*Lourdes! The Musical* runs at Dublin’s Civic Theatre through October 10, with the Dublin Theatre Festival continuing until October 11.