North Mayo drama group presents hilarious comedy over three nights

Bonniconlon Drama Society presents the hilarious three-act comedy Stop It Nurse for three nights this week – and it's sure to have audiences rolling in the aisles of The Grove Hall.

The comedy, written by Northern Irish playwright Sam Cree, is directed by Tom Doherty and takes place from Friday to Sunday (March 20 to 22).

This comedy classic follows the tale of hospital patients Bert Cooper (Colin Highfield) and Harold Smiley (Mitch Commane). The play opens with Cooper and Smiley sharing a ward. The former has a few marital issues and the latter suffers from a weak bladder – but they have one thing in common: they are both cantankerous and crabby!

Life in the ward isn’t too bad – well, that is until Bonniconlon GAA supporter Sam McCracken (Jerome Tuohy) and Ardnaree Sarsfields fanatic Felix Devlin (Niall Langan) are admitted! As the men get to know each other, sparks – and a few other things – start to fly!

The action gets really interesting with the addition of the sports commentator (John Devlin) and the caustic Sister Louise (Nikki Lawrence), who is nothing if not stern in her command of the hospital ward. People-pleaser Nurse Holmes (Elaine Mullarkey) and Student Nurse Freda (Shannon O’Malley) attempt to keep things upbeat, but with the introduction of Miss Cherry (Evie Murphy), life at the ward gets very interesting indeed!

Add to that the influences of a few choice women – namely Bert’s wife Martha Cooper (Margaret Devine), Phyllis Russell (Sarah Murray Durcan) and her friend Susan (Angela McAndrew) and the very colourful Dolores Maxwell (Peggy Kelly) – and the stage is set for some hilarious moments and mix-ups.

To top it all off, the comically named Mad McGurk (Sean Tolan) really brings the ward to life – and attempts to put some manners on the patients in the process.

With such an array of characters and chaos, Stop It Nurse is non-stop madness and mayhem.

Director Tom Doherty paid tribute to the cast and crew who have been rehearsing for months to prepare for the show. “This year we have six new members who we extend a very warm welcome to. With new faces comes new energy, and it is just brilliant to see such a level of interest in our drama society.

“But of course we are blessed with our more experienced cast members too who continue to volunteer their time and energy year in year out. Barbara Ginley and Jo Greavy are assisting with the direction and on the night, and Peter Boyd is acting as MC.”

A production like this, while driven by a few key people, truly is a community project, noted Tom.

“This really is a community effort and we are so lucky to have huge support, particularly the ICA, Bofield/Bonniconlon Community Employment Scheme and our extensive backstage crew. I have to thank the Bonniconlon Show Committee for the use of The Grove and of course our chairperson and stage manager, Raymond Devine, for transforming it into a local hospital – for three nights only!

“There are countless people helping us out to bring this production from page to stage. Sincere thanks to Gerry Curley for our programme, Mark Murphy for posters/signs, and Cormac O’Malley for social media – and of course our generous raffle sponsors too, who have once again come out to support us.”

Stop It Nurse comes hot on the heels of Pretend Sick, the 2025 sell-out performance, and Bonniconlon Drama Society has now become renowned for its fresh take on comedies. It is an approach the group is proud of.

“Comedies give audiences a chance to switch off and have a laugh, so we are very much looking forward to welcoming our audiences and hoping they will do just that. Leave the world behind for an evening of laughter,” said Tom.

Doors open at The Grove Hall (F26 H426) at 7.15 p.m. nightly, with curtain up at 8 p.m. Tickets cost €12 on the door (cash only), with a raffle each evening.