Rex does dad Gerry proud on stage

Son of 'shock jock' presenter Gerry, 24-year-old Rex relished in his role of a 'man about town' in his new dance comedy show Boyz of Harcourt Street, at Smock Alley Theatre last night.

Nerves

Along with pals from his production company Rocket Octopus Theatre, Rex wrote and starred in the play.

When asked if he experienced any nerves about stepping into the limelight as both a scriptwriter and an actor, confident Rex insisted "absolutely not".

"I want to do it all," he said.

"We're producing great actors and writers in Ireland. We have a great tradition and we're respected when we go abroad as well."

Rex said that the cast wear three-piece suits and are sporting moustaches for the production, which is running until Saturday and follows 
the escapades of three young men.

"It's about friends working in an unnamed corporation in Dublin and one weekend their usual binge changes and that's the drama of it," Rex told the Herald.

"We're doing a lot of dance - a lot of the story is told through that medium and miming too.

"We're excited about it, the nerves are no more than usual anticipation when performing."

Rex and his friends were supported last night by his mother Morah, sisters Lottie, Bonnie and Babette, and brother Elliott.

Clontarf-native Rex recently graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting.

And it is not the first time that the Dubliner has braved the acting world.

Auditioning

He previously starred in a music video entitled Up with Tipperary-born model Roz Purcell and appeared in The Circus of Perseverance.

It followed his debut at the Dublin Fringe Festival.

At the moment, he is auditioning for a string of other shows and has signed up to take part in Dublin Fringe this September.

"They are not letting me talk about it yet, I had to sign an agreement, but I'm looking forward to it," he said.

Rex said theatre is where his heart lies for now. However, he insisted that he wouldn't rule out taking on a TV or film project.

The children of Gerry and Morah Ryan have shown a keen interest in venturing into entertainment in some shape or form.

Lottie (26) enjoyed a regular broadcasting slot on Colm Hayes's show on RTE Radio's 2FM before landing her own weekend programme earlier this year, while Bonnie (19) has been emerging as a professional singer.

hnews@herald.ie