The Sanctuary Lamp

Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork Ends Tomorrow 8pm 25/20 021-4501673; Civic Theatre, Tallaght Apr 20-24 8pm 22/18 01-4627477; Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co Kildare Apr 26-28 20/18 045-448327; Town Hall Theatre, Galway May 4-7 8pm 091-569777

In 1975, Tom Murphy's The Sanctuary Lampproved both hugely controversial and quietly prophetic. Depicting a Catholic Church from which the spirit had long since fled and where priests spun "tangled theological cobwebs", the play found three individuals mourning or celebrating their loss of faith in a secular world. Such was the heated reaction to the original that Murphy's creative voice went quiet for some time after.

When the play was revived in 2001, the playwright had reworked the piece significantly. Then, two years ago, he directed his new version for b*spoke. In trying times for b*spoke, which was one of 11 theatre companies to lose revenue funding this year from the Arts Council, this production returns to offer both succour and continuity. It recently had a critically acclaimed run in London and now keeps the company’s torch burning on a short tour to four Irish venues.

Murphy’s play offers a conflicted refuge to its characters – former circus strongman Harry (Robert O’Mahony), his faithless friend and juggler Francisco (Declan Conlon), and the pining young Maudie (Kate Brennan, left, with Robert O’Mahony). Confronting their pasts and each other heralds a form of salvation. For b*spoke, the accomplishment of the production is another reason to keep their faith.

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Who Is Fergus Kilpatrick?Project Arts Centre, Dublin