Irish Curse at Cutting Edge Center of the Arts

Part of the attraction of community theater is the mixing of old and new, the intrigue of watching accomplished actors endeavor in new roles as veteran performers return and inject fresh energy into a production.The Irish Curse, a hilarious and thought provoking comedy now on stage at CECA, is a prime example of this tried and true formula. It features some of the region’s finest male actors – and they act and interact magnificently.

This two-act, adult-themed play is not for young children or the squeamish. Comedian George Carlin made famous seven words that cannot be uttered on television – and those seven words, long with dozens of similar terms, are in the dialog several times over. Still, the locker room language is appropriate to the characters and the dilemma, so the coarseness is both believable and appropriate. The Irish Curse is not about drinking. The play centers on five men of Irish descent who are grossly under-endowed by their creator – hence “the curse.” They meet weekly as a support group in the basement of a neighborhood church where they initially dodge, and then finally face and share, the scars and visceral struggle of trying to be a man when their symbol of manhood is so diminutive.