James Moran suffers with Stickler syndrome and with it, is writing a new play to get in touch with his humanity
The Assassination of Pope Urban II is a piece of historical fiction based on the Pope’s eventful and tragic life. James has dubbed his comedy “a one-and-a-half-man comedy show”.
It made its grand premiere at the Dublin Fringe Festival and it’s controversial topics cover religion, death, decay but most importantly, disability.
Stickler syndrome is a hereditary condition that creates facial and joint abnormalities, along with hearing loss and joint problems. To learn more, click here.
Moran injects some of his own pain and suffering into his work, more recently with Pope Urban II who he was able to relate to. He’s been drawn to the Bible’s depictions of suffering and decay.
“It’s not like I sit around all day thinking about disability,” he said “But when you have a disability it does subconsciously influence how you see the world. This is about exploring the emotions around sickness and disability without just saying ‘Ah, I’m sick.”
Pope Urban II who was born with a disability begins to decay throughout the duration of the play. In the opening scene, Moran guides the audience through a Hitchockian scene in a hospital where Pope Urban is born. He reads as a pompous narrator that takes his work of art way too seriously but in reality, it’s a self-aware comedy.
