Studs

The Gaiety Theatre, until 22 June.

Perhaps I'm too cynical but it would not take a marketing genius to recognise the lucrative potential of staging a play about football in the run up to the World Cup. It might prove to be an even bigger money-spinner if more people go along after Ireland fail to make it to the second round (take a bow, Roy Keane). However, Paul Mercier's play - performed by The Passion Machine - has been around for a long time. It concerns the ups and mostly downs of a ramshackle local football team called Emmet Rovers.

Their track record is poor, they're not fit enough and easily claim to be the Accrington Stanley of Irish football. They don't even have a manager until mild-mannered Walter Keegan (Liam Carney) shows up. With barely a medal between them, the lads agree to Walter taking on the managerial role, whereupon, Jekyll & Hyde-style, he transforms into a ball-breaking slave driver determined to see them win. Using maverick tactics and an iron fist, Keegan pushes the lads to believe that their dream of winning the Cup could be a reality. It's not hard to envisage the outcome of events.

This is a hugely active play that manages to accurately imitate match action in spite of the lack of space. There are plenty of set pieces, quirky flourishes and the occasional song and dance routine that the cast revel in. In staging terms, there is minimal use of props (including footballs and goalposts) forcing the audience to use their imagination. Lighting plays a huge part in setting the town and capturing the atmosphere of a game and the post-match dressing room analysis.

With eleven men jumping about in the spirit of the beautiful game it's difficult to single out individuals but Eanna Mac Liam as Bubbles, the captain who holds it all together, is wonderful. Funniest is David Gorry as Speedy and Ciaran Nolan gives a great performance as the nervous goalie. Even if football's not your thing or your bloke wants to drag you along to this, it's worth it. The laughs come thick and fast and it's an enjoyable snapshot of little league football peppered with colourful language.

So forget about Roy Keane, cheer yourself up and go along and see 'Studs'. But be warned - don't sit in the Gods, it's difficult to hear some of the dialogue.

Sinéad Gleeson