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The Arts Council Playography Na Gaeilge

Plays

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Mumbo Jumbo

OVERVIEW

  • Playwright

    Robin Glendinning 

  • Synopsis

    Set in a Protestant boys' public school in present-day Belfast, Mumbo Jumbo centres on the sexual discovery and political awakening of two classmates: the poetic and idealistic Dunham, and his fiercely Orange friend, Creaney. School is seen as a world which both reflects and reinforces the rigid tribalism and sectarianism of Ulster politics. The schoolboys' chant of Vachel Lindsay's menacingly rhythmic poem, The Congo, acts as a powerful central metaphor, weaving its way relentlessly through the action of the play as it mesmerizes the innocent young minds.

  • Play Type

    Plays General

    Number Of Acts

    Full-Length

    • Cast size

  • Male

    13

  • Female

    2

  • Total

    15

Original Production

Original Cast
Patterson Dan Gordon
Angela Sadie Frost
Jameson Adam Sunderland
Robinson Maurice Dee
McKenna David Michaels
Lowry David Adair
Dunbar Dermott Graham
Brown Anthony Hearne
Creaney John Elmes
Barry Dunham Michael Grandage
Mrs Howlett Richenda Carey
The Dean Nigel Stock
Bill Dunham Denys Hawthorne
Richards (Wombat) Marcus O'Higgins
Butler Peter Richey
Marion Dunham Anne Lawson (2)
Production Team
Director Nicholas Hytner
Designer Mark Thompson
Lighting Designer Mark Henderson
Sound Colin Duncan

Published Scripts

Rights Information

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the original production programme.