'What Men Want' returns to Galway in February after its sell-out run last September. Lisa Regan talks to Director Peadar de Burca about the 'idiots in our midst'.

Why Men Cheat...Peadar de Burca, at the Town hall Theatre Galway. Photo: Andrew Downes

Are you excited to bring this sell-out production back to Galway?

I'm excited and a little nervous, mainly because of the nature of the show. The people who came to see it in September will know what I'm talking about and, without giving too much away, it's one of those shows where every night is different and sometimes anything can happen, which is handy when you are doing 12 nights in a row. Plus a gang of women from Mayo, who came to see it back then, promised to come back with their husbands. So, obviously I'm really looking forward to that.

Can you tell us a bit about the show?

It's a show where I've been accused of bribing the audience by giving them free booze at the start and, while the audience do seem incredibly appreciative at this juncture in the show, I must say that the alcohol is an integral part of the storyline. The man I am portraying has just left his wife at the altar and is proceeding to get well and truly hammered. So why not let the audience join with the mood transformation? Let's not be greedy; let's share the wealth.

What was your inspiration for this production? Why did you feel the need to demystify the male?

I felt a need to let women, and people in general, know what type of idiots are currently in their midst. In many ways it's a plea, yes a plea, for help and understanding. Women on the whole know they are taking potluck with most guys between the ages of 18 to 30. We have trouble negotiating our way around cutlery, so anything that happens in the bedroom is a little like quantum physics to us. Women always get pegged with being neurotic, but psychologically men are no walk in the park either.

The poster is a bit risqué; can we expect the same from the show?

Who knows? There are nights when clothes are just so cumbersome and it's incredibly hard to express yourself while wearing pants. I'm sure a lot of your readers feel like this. Then there are nights when the clothes come off, people throw money, laugh, cry and one just feels so cheap.

The show starts off with audience members receiving glasses of champagne and Guinness; is audience interaction a part of the show?

How can I put this, without scaring everyone, apart from the above-mentioned Mayo people, away? There is a lot of love in the show and one often feels the urge to share that feeling. And for some reason I attract copious amounts of quirky people to the show who feel motivated to tell me things during the show. I simply encourage this urge for self-expression. I also think it's important for women to have a drink while listening to me. And I think women believe that too.

Or are you suggesting that women need to get liquored up to understand the male of the species?

I think I need to know that women are under the influence of something, so I can feel that they might understand me. And let's not forget that women are usually seven sheets to the wind when it comes to that crucial moment of picking a mate in a disco or nightclub, so this show should bring back fond memories.

Is the show for women alone or have men something to gain from it?

Gain? They're getting a free drink; isn't that enough?