A determined and uncompromising new play by Eugene O'Hare set in a Northern Irish border town where family and political life pushes alcoholics to the brink.
“I don’t know what’s beyond this minute. But whatever it is it can’t be worse than all the minutes that brought us here”. Two sisters, one last drink. In the Irish border town of Newry, Chrissy promises her sister Claire that after four cans of lager she will go to the dry house to get sober. Does she mean it this time? One woman’s refusal to give up on her sister powers The Dry House, an emotionally searing new family drama about love, loss and the possibility of hope after years of self-destruction. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London’s Marylebone Theatre in March 2023.
"This bleakly beautiful boozer's tale packs a powerful punch." - Daily Mail
"O’Hare’s psychological acuity is impressive and his plot is beautifully organised. A multilayered drama emerges from a single incident, a suspicious car crash, which spins a malign and complex web around the lives of Chrissy and her extended family. Without the car crash, the drama vanishes. That’s the way to tell a story." - Spectator
"There are moments of sheer brilliance in The Dry House, most obviously in the intensely well-observed relationship between the two sisters. Their bickering descends into bitterness at the drop of a hat, yet the love between them is palpable." - The Reviews Hub
"Maybe it’s because he’s a successful performer himself, one with an impressive array of top flight stage and screen credits, but Eugene O’Hare feels very much like an actors’ writer. He creates meaty, flawed, mighty characters and fills their mouths with the poetic and the profane, in plays that don’t flinch from the grimy underbelly of human existence but are shot through with jet black wit and unexpected moments of devastating tenderness." - Alun Hood, My Theatre Mates
"It’s a thoughtful character-driven piece of work with full-bodied performances that shows the devastation of alcoholism without preaching and gratifyingly ends on a note of hope." - What's On Stage