If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if the strange, surreal world of Blindboy’s short stories was let loose inside the Abbey Theatre, Animals might be your answer.
The new production, adapted and directed by Dan Colley, brings together a selection of stories from Blindboyboatclub’s acclaimed collections, including The Gospel According to Blindboy, Boulevard Wren and Topographica Hibernica. It premieres at the Abbey Theatre this September, running from 23 September to 7 November.
And if the premise sounds slightly unhinged, that is very much the point.
On paper, Animals sounds like the kind of show that would be difficult to explain to someone over a pint. There’s Erskine Fogarty making the long journey to Limerick with a fridge-freezer. Pamela Furlong transforms into a dogman. A poitín maker finds himself haunted by a cormorant. Elsewhere, two titans of Irish history become involved in a rather dangerous liaison.
Put it all together and you get something that is decidedly different from your average night at the theatre.
Colley has described Blindboy’s stories as wildly imaginative, fiercely intelligent and deeply moving, but also the sort of material that initially seemed “totally unstageable”. Animals is his attempt to embrace that challenge rather than tame it.
The result is being billed as an absurdist, visually ambitious production where reality can shift at any moment. Rather than simply transferring Blindboy’s stories from page to stage, Animals explores the strange territory between the human and the animal, asking what actually separates us from the creatures we share the planet with.
There is plenty beneath the surrealism, too. The production explores ideas around masking, neurodiversity, gender performance, masculinity and regional identity, with Limerick and Blindboy’s relationship with his native city playing an important role.
That combination of the bizarre and the recognisable is arguably what makes Animals so intriguing. Beneath the talking animals, strange journeys and improbable encounters are questions about how we behave, how we present ourselves to others and how much of our supposedly civilised behaviour is really just a thin layer of paint.
The cast is another reason to keep an eye on this one. Pat Shortt leads an ensemble that includes Aidan Crowe, Emer Dineen, John Doran, Ashleigh Dorrell, Liz FitzGibbon, Manus Halligan, Jeanne Nicole Ní Áinle and Karl Quinn. For Shortt, it marks his Abbey Theatre debut, following an extensive career across Irish film, television and stage, including Garage, The Banshees of Inisherin and The Cripple of Inishmaan.
Photo credit: Rich Davenport
The production also brings together a sizeable creative team, with set design by Owen Boss, costumes by Saileóg O’Halloran, lighting by Suzie Cummins, sound and composition by Alma Kelliher, video design by José Miguel Jimenez and special effects by Richard Babington. It’s a fittingly large team for a production promising to turn Blindboy’s unpredictable fictional universe into something equally unpredictable on stage.
And while Animals is undoubtedly aimed at audiences who enjoy their theatre a little stranger, you don’t need to be a Blindboy obsessive or a hardcore theatregoer to get something from it. Dublin Theatre Festival itself describes the production as a visual feast, and points to Severance, The Lobster, Kevin Barry and The Blindboy Podcast as some useful reference points for anyone wondering what sort of territory they’re entering.
In other words, don’t expect a quiet evening of conventional storytelling.
Expect a fridge-freezer, a dogman, a haunted cormorant and a few uncomfortable questions about what it means to be human.
Animals runs at the Abbey Theatre from 23 September to 7 November 2026, with tickets priced from €15 to €55 plus booking fee. It is recommended for audiences aged 16 and over. Tickets can be booked here.
ANIMALS
Abbey Stage, Abbey Theatre
23 September – 7 November 2026
Tickets: €15–€55 plus booking fee
More info: www.abbeytheatre.ie/whats-on/animals
