Author: The Reviews Hub - Ireland

Interviewer: Louise Tallon Off the Ground Theatre’s (OTG) Daniel G. Cambridge and Kathryn McGurk speak to The Reviews Hub as they prepare to take their characters, Long John Silver and Israel Hands across the Irish sea for the next leg of Treasure Island’s UK and Ireland summer tour. Playwright Connor Wray has adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling tale of pirates, mutiny and buried treasure to suit a myriad array of beautiful outdoor venues including those at Killyleagh Castle and Bantry, Myross Wood, Lisnavagh and Killruddery Houses. The family favourite follows the sea-faring adventures of young Jim Hawkins as he encounters…

Writer/Director: Terry George Written and directed by Academy Award winner, Terry George, The Tunnel is a captivating exploration of captivity. The fact that the production is based upon George’s own experiences of serving time in the storied Long Kesh prison camp, during the Troubles, makes this production even more powerful, authentic and compelling. First performed in New York in 1986, (directed at that time, by Jim Sheridan), George’s own Seamus Productions has collaborated with West Belfast’s Brassneck Theatre Company to bring the Irish premiere of The Tunnel, to the Lyric stage, as part of Féile an Phobail, one of Ireland’s…

Writer: Matthew Minnicino  Director: Marc Atkinson Borrull “Toxic masculinity, sweaty affairs, and a flawed humanity.” Sugarglass, in collaboration with Smock Alley Theatre and Once Off Productions, presents a clever rebranding of Molière’s The Misanthrope, dismantling the outdated notion that pessimism lies in one man alone. Matthew Minnicino’s adaptation challenges us to broaden our understanding of misanthropy—not as a singular character flaw, but as a cultural epidemic choking under the weight of narcissism, iced matcha lattes and performative virtue. Minnicino doesn’t just modernise Molière’s world, he surgically replaces its aristocracy with a Dublin-based corporate elite, in the world of FRANS.  Minnicino’s…

Writers: Adam Long, Daniel Singer & Jess Winfield Director: Kate Canning This rollicking, rumbustious, romp through Shakespeare’s greatest hits is a delicious treat for a summer evening’s entertainment. Declan O’Loughlin’s, Sean Murphy’s and Will Flanagan’s fast paced performances carry the audience through a rollercoaster 100 minutes of Shakespearean drama. There are tantalising soundbites of half remembered lines from distant school years to titillate the brain cells when not laughing at the witty, speedy delivery of all Shakespeare’s 37 plays performed by only three actors. The simplicity of the staging harks back Shakespeare’s lifetime when a travelling troupe of players visited villages…

Artistic Director & Producer: Tom Rack  Auteur& Director: Firenza Guidi  Composer: David Murray The vibe from the start, in the Big Top tent on Nimmo’s Pier in the Claddagh in Galway, is raggle-taggle carnival meets 1930s Berlin, as NoFit State Circus present Sabotage to a packed-to-the-rafters audience. Inside the tent there are metal towers that reach to the rooftop and a large ring fixture high up waiting for its time to shine. The company are stomping around before the show starts, engaging with the audience, ‘selling’ their wares and doing the final set up, establishing their slightly louche, rebellious attitude…

Devised by: The ensemble, from the book by Oein DeBhairduin Director: Máiréad Ní Chróinín & Ionia Ní Chróinín Why the Moon Travels invites its audience to sit around a crackling campfire and listen to old tales while learning about the traditions of the Mincéirí (also known as Irish Travellers). Our three hosts, performers Ellen Doyle, Catrina Connors and Sarah McDonagh, make everyone welcome and introduce themselves individually, foregrounding their proud Traveller heritage. They take turns to tell origin stories, encouraging each other with affectionate banter and so we learn where the bogs came from (they are made from a very…

Creator & Director: Phillip McMahon & Jennifer Jennings Not having been fortunate enough to see RIOT when it first took the nation by storm in 2016, it feels imperative to urge anyone in the same boat to ensure they get to Vicar Street for this limited opportunity to witness Irish theatrical history. The jewel in THISISPOPBABY’s many sparkled crown, RIOT has an aura of the legend around it; people talk about seeing it under the Spiegeltent in 2016 in reverent tones, critics around the world laud it from Sydney to New York, but it’s a very special treat to see…

Writer & Director: Enda Walsh  Designer: Paul Fahy  There is a noticeable sense of familiarity when attending Enda Walsh’s The Baby’s Room as part of this year’s Galway International Arts Festival. Firstly it is Walsh’s twelfth ‘Room’ installation in the festival and the familiar elements are here: we, the audience, are small in number as we enter a room for an immersive fifteen minutes where we listen to a recording of a life in vivid snapshots. Secondly the many toys scattered around this room are reminiscent of an eighties childhood: a yellow activity teddy bear, my little ponies and furry animals…