DEATH (on a shoestring)

Written by Dave Kinghan

Directed by Richard Lavery

Accidental's DEATH (on a shoestring) appeared in the 2012 Belfast Festival, the first time the company was part of this long running international festival. A darkly funny adventure to a politically incorrect afterlife DEATH (on a shoestring) sold out over the five day run in the Baby Grand at the Grand Opera House, the second of Accidental's shows to do so in the venue.

When Cecilia Malarkey MBE, head of a political correctness watchdog, is accidentally allowed into Heaven, she is disgusted by the lack of politically correct behaviour in Paradise. Refusing someone entry because they're not Christian? Religious discrimination! Malarkey sets about overhauling Heaven's values system, but as it becomes more politically correct, Heaven seems decidedly less heavenly – and soon angels and demons are working together to get the afterlife back in order and Cecilia out!

A hilarious black comedy, this escapade into the afterlife combined music and live performance to excite and thrill. DEATH (on a shoestring) deceptively tackled serious questions about dominant religious and sexual issues in Northern Ireland; projecting them in vaudevillian style, through a fantastical and heightened comic lens, made the issues seem adolescent at first glance, and ultimately approachable.