Plays

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The Good House of Happiness

OVERVIEW

  • Playwright

    Eugene O'Brien  Gavin Quinn 

  • Adapted / Translated From

    Bertolt Brecht

  • Adapted From Notes

    Adapted from Brecht's The Good Person of Setzuan. 

  • Setting

    Dublin, 2017

  • Synopsis

    You are invited to meet an actor, a pop singer and a scholar, from China, and two Mongolian accountants. They have come together to make a modern version of Brecht’s parable play, The Good Person of Setzuan first performed by German actors playing Chinese people. Brecht’s original play is a parable set in China between World War I and World War II. The Good House of Happiness is set in Dublin in 2017 as Molly Xiu, a budding actor, receives a challenge from the gods. They favour her with a gift of money, so she opens a new restaurant. But she is not a tough nosed business person, and everyone takes advantage of her, so she is driven to invent a male alter ego, Michael Xun, to be the ruthless dragon that makes the restaurant a success. She is forced to assume this role so often that, as Michael Xun, she is accused of murdering Molly Xiu. 

  • Play Type

    Adaptation/Translation

    Number Of Acts

    Full-Length

  • Cast size

  • Male

    2

  • Female

    5

  • Total

    7

Original Production

  • Date of First Production

    13 October 2017

  • Production Notes

    Produced as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

  • Producer

    Produced by Pan Pan

  • Original Venue

    Smock Alley Theatre

  • Venue Notes

    Performed in the Main Space. 

Original Cast  
Performer Saruul Altantuya
Performer Andrew Bennett
Performer Zolzaya Enkhtuuya
Performer Eh-Jae Kim
Performer Xier Luo
Performer Zheyu Wei
Performer Ashley Xie
Production Team  
Director Aedin Cosgrove
Director Gavin Quinn
Designer Aedin Cosgrove
Designer Gavin Quinn
Music by Si Schroeder
Photography Ros Kavanagh
Stage Manager TrĂ­ona Humphries
Production Manager Rob Usher (1)
Social Media Manager Noelia Ruiz
Producer Aoife White

Unpublished Scripts

Rights Information

  • Territory

    All Territories

  • Rights Type

    All Rights

  • Contact

    Pan Pan

  • Address

    Curved Sreet
    Temple Bar, Dublin 2
    Co. Dublin
    Republic of Ireland

  • Phone

    + 353 (0)1 633 4493

  • Email

    info@panpantheatre.com

  • Website

    panpantheatre.com

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the play's original production programme and the Dublin Theatre Festival programme.