You’ll applaud this landing!

A play based on a 1981 Aer Lingus hijacking is coming to Cork soon following critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe and Dublin Fringe festivals.

Presented by Verdant Productions, and written and directed by Janet Moran, ‘A Holy Show’ is a comedy loosely based on an Aer Lingus flight which was hijacked in 1981 by an ex-Trappist monk wanted for fraud.

The play is a nostalgic Irish romp featuring a protagonist with the Pope as his nemesis, a bottle of water as his weapon, and a burning desire to know the Third Secret of Fatima.

Speaking about the show, writer and director Janet Moran said: “I’m so thrilled to be bringing 'A Holy Show' on tour. The show played to standing ovations at the Edinburgh Fringe and I hope audiences will laugh their heads off. Step on the plane with us and experience this most Irish of hijackings. There’ll be music, nostalgia, heroism, praying, visions, romance, sex, a special appearance by Our Lady. There’ll even be a miracle. I swear.”

The play stars Roseanna Purcell ('Copper Face Jacks: The Musical', 'Red Rock', 'Fair City') and Mark Fitzgerald ('Copper Face Jacks: The Musical', 'Alone It Stands', 'Foxy') and tours Ireland through February and March before two performances at the Irish Culture Centre in Paris.

With clever, witty, and insightful writing, the high-energy production takes the audience on a whirlwind comic journey with both Roseanna and Mark playing multiple characters at breakneck speed. The sharp, insightful script leaves little room to breathe between laughs, and reveals and probing understanding of faith in Ireland, both in the 1980s and modern day. Though the plane might be hijacked, 'A Holy Show' delivers its audience to an earlier Ireland.

‘A Holy Show’ is currently on its nationwide tour and will be in the Everyman Theatre from 17 to 20 February. Tickets are €20 and available from everymancork.com.