Keelie Sheridan describes Crocodile Fever as “Derry Girls meets Quentin Tarantino”—a darkly comedic and emotionally charged family drama set during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland; equal parts surreal, savage, and spectacular on stage now through June 15. Don’t miss it.
Written in 2019, the play is set in South Armagh in 1989, six years before the Good Friday Agreement, a period of volatile political unrest. While national conflict simmers beneath the surface, Sheridan, the Director and Artistic Director of Irish Classical Theatre Company, emphasizes that the real heart of the play lies in the reconciliation between two estranged sisters.
“They are built-in allies to each other,” she explains, as the characters confront diverging memories of childhood and the challenge of rebuilding trust. Audiences will most appreciate the play’s bold shift in tone, which starts as a gritty family drama and then evolves into something surreal and unexpected. Dark humor, traditionally associated with plays presented at ICTC, is a powerful tool for navigating trauma in Crocodile Fever.
Sheridan’s approach to direction is grounded in creating immersive experiences. Drawing inspiration from Anne Bogart, she compares the process to “planning a surprise party for someone you love.”
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Every element, from lighting to sound to scent, is designed to pull the audience into the story. “What’s the first thing they’ll see, and what will they smell, and what will they hear?” she asks. With a 360-degree theater setup, Sheridan relishes the chance to “envelop people in our space,” working closely with her design team from the start. “You feel like you are somewhere else when you walk through the theater doors,” she says. The experience of Crocodile Fever fully embraces theatricality, incorporating puppetry, special effects, and horror elements that both surprise and unsettle.
One of the greatest challenges—and rewards—of Crocodile Fever lies in its tonal complexity – the play constantly teeters on the edge of discomfort. “You’re constantly asking yourself, like, should I be laughing at this? Is it OK to laugh at this?” Sheridan says, describing the nervous laughter that arises when extreme circumstances clash with absurdity. She was initially curious how audiences would react to the more intense moments—“some pretty extreme things happen in the play,” she notes—but the response has been affirming.
Sheridan recalls sitting in the theater and watching viewers across the room react to the script: “There are a couple of surprises in the piece,” she explains, “and getting to watch other audience members… looking across the room and other people experiencing this thing… it feels kind of extra communal that way because we’re all sort of taken off guard by this play.”
For those who are fans of cinema, Sheridan suggests that Crocodile Fever might be just the right introduction to live theater. “It deals so heavily in kind of cinematic structure and cinematic motifs,” she says, adding that the storytelling may appeal to film lovers. “If you’re open to being surprised… this play is probably not going to be what you expected it to be.”
Adding to its appeal are the cultural references woven throughout the production, grounding the story in the late 1980s with humor and nostalgia. “We’ve got some incredible pop culture references,” Sheridan shares, pointing to a “creative and poetic disassembly” of Toto’s Africa, along with nods to Quiet Riot’s Come On Feel the Noise, Tony Bennett, and the film Carrie. “Even if you weren’t in Northern Ireland in the 80s,” she says, “this show will scratch all of those itches”—from cassette tapes and VCRs to big, blocky televisions and a world without cell phones.
Reflecting on the season overall, Sheridan notes how meaningful it has been to welcome new faces while honoring longtime supporters of Irish Classical Theatre. “The pleasant surprise has been how open and welcoming our audiences have been to the new programming—and also, how many new audience members we’ve been able to connect with through the shows this year,” she says. “It’s always nice to hear.” After joining the company just two years ago, she’s especially moved by the support from patrons who have been attending for decades: “To hear patrons who’ve been with us for 35 years being supportive and enthusiastic about the programming has meant a lot.”
Crocodile Fever runs through June 15. Tickets are available here.
