When the lights went down

Rave club Sir Henry’s closed ten years ago, but it still obsesses the hero in new play, DEEP, says Colette Sheridan

DIRECTOR Louise Lowe is best known for the Monto Cycle Dublin plays, but she is now immersed in the history of Cork’s music scene. Cork’s iconic Sir Henry’s nightclub closed ten years ago and is the subject of playwright and actor, Raymond Scannell’s latest show, DEEP, which opens on Jun 21 at the Half Moon Theatre as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival.

DEEP follows 35-year-old, Larry Lehane, who was born as disco was dying. He embraced ‘house’ music, influenced by his older brother, Danny. DEEP is a one-man show; Scannell plays 20 characters. The play includes documentary-style interviews with the venue’s main figures, and footage of nights at the club. As dance music grew in popularity, Sir Henry’s was the venue for the ‘Sweat’ night introduced by DJs, Shane Johnson and Greg Dowling (Fish Go Deep.) The ‘Sweat’ night was one of the top clubs in Europe in the early 1990s.