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Roddy Doyle’s The Snapper makes its world debut at The Gate Theatre this summer. The Snapper is the second novel from Doyle’s infamous The Barrytown Trilogies, a series of novels about growing up in Dublin in the late eighties and early nineties with added Italia 90 nostalgia.

The play tells the story of the Rabbitte family and how they come to terms with their 20-year-old daughter’s unplanned pregnancy. Sharon (Hazel Clifford) decides to keep the child and slowly begins to tell her friends and family. People are quick to question who the father is, but she refuses to reveal who it is and quickly becomes the talk of the town as her pregnancy becomes more noticeable.

Simon Delaney has the unenviable task of taking on the iconic role of Jimmy Rabbitte, the father, famously portrayed by Colm Meaney in the film version which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. However, Delaney’s natural wit and sharp tongue make him an ideal candidate to reinvent the role, to which he revels in. Sharon is played by Hazel Clifford, a recent graduate of The Lir Academy and her likeness to Tina Kellegher, the film Sharon, is uncanny, capturing the sensitivity and brashness of the role to perfection. The other cast members are less developed. Hilda Fay plays the mother with a delicate subtlety and Kate Gilmore as Sharon’s best friend Jackie is comically captivating.

This rebirth of The Snapper comes with interesting adjustments. The family, the banter and the laugh-a-minute script all remain. However, the infamous dog, no longer hilariously named Larry Gogan, is mimed with disastrous comedic effect. The celebration of the eighties becomes a visual and audio triumph of nostalgia, with smash hits and cultural references plastered all over the set and a soundtrack that is perfectly suited. The set shifts between scenes, with the furniture and neon framed platforms moved by the actors, creating a fluidity to the movement and pace of the scenes. It’s stylish, fast-paced and relentlessly humorous, proving that Roddy Doyle’s works are still as hilariously poignant and relevant today as they were when he wrote them. The Snapper holds its own as one of the greats of Irish comedies and this production is definitely the feel-good hit of the summer. Don’t miss it!

The Snapper runs at The Gate Theatre until 15th September.