How to act

Colin Murphy visits the new Mill Theatre in Dundrum town centre

How to Act Around Cops. The Mill Theatre, Dundrum Town Centre, Dundrum, Dublin 14. 01 296 9340, www.milltheatre.com until 15 July

Sometimes there's not a lot to say about a play. How to Act Around Cops is an entertaining American crime caper, part homage to the cinematic genre of the blood-smattered road movie, part satire. An earnest young company plays it with energy and zest, and the 23 people in the 200-seater Mill Theatre in Dundrum laugh on cue and generally enjoy themselves. But what are they doing there in the first place? And what is the company doing there? And – the crucial question – what is the theatre doing there?

That latter question is the elephant in the room, an elephant often lurking at the back of these new surburban auditoria around Dublin – the reason nobody points it out is because they're happy it's occupying a few rows that would otherwise be empty. Dun Laoghaire's Pavilion, Bray's Mermaid, Tallaght's Civic and Dundrum's Mill (and many other breeze-block "arts centres" around the country) are bizarre monuments to an era of prosperity not matched by insight; of confidence not matched by inspiration. For most of the year, they find themselves housing small audiences for small shows in auditoria that therefore appear vast and empty. At least the auditoria are there – but it grates to see them empty and it jars to see fringe shows which could thrive in more intimate venues lost in these Celtic Tiger caverns.

So what is Purple Heart Theatre Company doing here? How to Act Around Cops is a small play. There are hardly more than three people on stage at any one time. It barely needs a set, and the company has made very little effort to provide one. With a young cast, and a play that was premiered on the New York fringe, it is crying out for a production above a pub somewhere – somewhere where 23 people would not be a shockingly paltry audience, where you wouldn't feel mildly guilty as you left for not having brought your friends.

But it's clear why the company chose this play, if not this venue. The dialogue is fast-paced, laconic Americana and the plot is laced with comic violence and mild sexual hyjinks. It hits all the buttons for someone choosing a show to appeal to an audience expected to be more familiar with TV drama than with the onstage version. And this is exactly the kind of thing that actors often like to do because it principally involves imitating what they've seen done in their favourite movies. Director John O'Brien and the cast clearly enjoy it; the performances are solid and the ensemble tight. They radiate energy and enthusiasm and, were so much of this not dissipated in the empty auditorium, it would be infectious.

Back to that empty auditorium. Going to the theatre in Dundrum on a summer evening is very pleasant. We got the Luas out early from town on Thursday evening, strolled briefly around the shops, and sat outdoors at a restaurant in the new plaza for a quick, good-value bite before the play. They might be the kind of tie-ins that the theatre will need to exploit to cultivate an audience. But that's unlikely to be the same audience Purple Heart were seeking when they chose How to Act Around Cops. It'll be a steep learning curve for both the theatre and the company: if they climb it, Dundrum will be much closer to having a "town centre"; if they can't, this theatre will be another suburban folly.