Man in the Moon, Rockliffe Hall

FOOD for thought. In the splendid and indulged setting of Rockliffe Hall's main suite theatre-goers ate a fine two-course set meal before watching Brassneck Theatre Company's two-act one-man play by Pearse Elliott, which might have made one or two of the wealthier watchers shift about in their seat.

Ciaran Nolan presents all the characters in the cash-strapped life of Belfast's Sean Doran. From his original boyhood gang of 15, few have survived. Almost all claimed by suicide, most involving the waters of Half Moon Lake, a real life setting involving a former mill pond which powered machinery for the linen industry.

Nolan powerfully takes us through this dark-humoured look at the "broken souls", doomed to three generations of kids with kids and Sean's own slide from happiness when a man with a BMW replaces the man with a BMX in the life of his partner and daughter – "just one letter different". A wonderful Elvis impersonation, involving the wake for a man Sean mistakenly thinks is his friend – both are called Soupy Campbell – is followed by the heart-felt revelation that both his brothers have killed themselves. Joe, older and supposedly wiser, and Liam, the academic hope of the family, both gone. A white body in the lake becoming the man in the moon. Fortunately, we're left with a glimmer of hope as an Irish jug followed the drama. Fairly lively diners watched in rapt attention and will hopefully be back for more when Rockliffe hosts An Evening of Motown with Ray Quinn on Saturday, April 11 and An Evening with the Sky Sports Team, including Hartlepool's Jeff Stelling plus Chris Kamara and Charlie Nicholas on Thursday, May 14.

n Prices are from £45 including meal and show. 01325-729999 or email enquires@rockliffehall.com

Viv Hardwick