Only three performances of these shows left, as a gay Mormon recalls his incredible journey out the closet and a new theatre company present three snappy shorts. One week of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival down, one to go!

Confessions of a Mormon Boy  *****

Steven Fales has been touring this award-winning play for several years now, and though it was presented at a previous International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, it is great to have it back, as it has lost none of its humour or ability to make you squirm.

Fales was a sixth-generation Mormon, became an Eagle Scout, completed a Mormon mission in Portugal, and married his college sweetheart in the Salt Lake Temple. But he was living a lie, and had been attracted to men since his adolescence, and this is the story of how he eventually had to live as his authentic self.

Though some of the things he was made to endure on that journey are eye-poppingly awful, what makes this show stand out from other such tales is not only the self-deprecating humour he brings to it, but the warmth and forgiveness he shows to those who subjected him to this treatment. This piece is part of a trilogy and it is to be hoped we get to see it in its entirety at some point. Highly recommended.

Stephen O’Connor

Confessions of a Mormon Boy continues at the Teacher’s Club until Saturday May 6 at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets here.

The Possible/ Strange Fruit/ The Morning After ***

This is a triple bill of short plays, brought to the festival by Momentum Acting Studio, is diverse, it would be difficult to identify a common thread, but all are of interest.

Two are by Neil La Bute, who has sometimes been labeled a misogynist by feminist critics, who claim his portrayal of women is too often vindictive and cruel to go unremarked upon. Maybe this is why for me, the least successful was, The Possible. Though actresses Sophie Cambell and Cherley Kane deliver good performances, it’s slightly clichéd presentation of the predatory lesbian, is discomforting, in a bad way.

More satisfying was Strange Fruit, a sad and moving tale of love between two men, which comes to an unexpected and shattering end as they celebrate their nuptials in California. Padraic McGinley and Barry McBrien have a believable chemistry making the ending to this piece very moving.

The most successful piece was, The Morning After by Louis CK, and hats off to the group for securing the rights to this piece, which formed part of CK’s recent subscription web TV series, Horace and Pete, which featured entertaining banter between its leads.

Discomforting moments aside, this proved to be a thought-provoking and entertaining evening from a new company.

Caitlin Smyth

The Possible/ Strange Fruit/ The Morning After continues at 9pm in the Player’s Theatre, Trinity College until May 6, with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm, tickets here.