Hair we go again

Following a sell-out run on its previous outing, Ger FitzGibbon’s comedy, ‘The Hairdresser’s Calendar’, is returning by popular demand to the Cork Arts Theatre this month.

The fabulous Fionula Linehan will once again star as the Hairdresser in a performance that was described as “flawless” and “masterful” last time around.

Directed and designed by Jack Healy and under the banner of Theatre Makers Limited, this witty and poignant production is sure to make audience members curl up and dye from laughter.

Over the course of an hour, we encounter the Hairdresser, her life, her customers and her colleagues. There is her lovely assistant Kylie who creates chaos wherever she goes; there’s Miss Cadogan who had a thing for umbrellas; and then there’s the dapper old gent with the gamey eye, plus many more. The Hairdresser is therapist, counsellor, story-teller and magician all rolled into one.

The Hairdresser’s world is full of highlights – other people’s highlights. Whether it’s a wedding, a christening, or a debs’ ball, everyone comes to the salon expecting transformation.

The Hairdresser says: “The straight-haired ones want curls, the curly-headed ones want it straight. They want it crimped, styled, chopped, coloured and streaked, but of course they all want it to look ‘natural’. Bring me your poor, your oul’ tangled tresses and I’ll sort ’em out for you. I will take your despair and make it look like hope – for a few hours anyway.”

Unfortunately, there isn’t always room in her calendar for the ordinary domestic crises in her own life. There’s the much-loved, slightly incontinent dog; the retired husband who cheats at ‘Countdown’ but is unable to cope with a washing machine; and – of course – the sister-in-law who lives in Malaga and takes it upon herself to descend from time to time like a royal visitor. Amidst all this, the Hairdresser faces some big questions about herself and her life.