Author: The Reviews Hub - Ireland

Writer: Emmet Kirwan Director: Claire O’Reilly Once the longest-running cinema in Dublin, turned cracking live music venue, turned unusual exhibition space, then finally a sadly shuttered shell, it is a real treat for many Dubliners to see the Ambassador open again for live performances, and perhaps even more of a treat to see a local virtuoso grace its stage in the form of Emmet Kirwan. Kirwan is, or should be, well known to most as an exceptional spoken word poet, and Accents is a testament to that incredible talent; 6 free verse poems performed over music composed by the late…

Writer: Michael J. Hartnett Director: Vinnie McCabe Fill your lunchtime with a slice of life at Bewley’s Café Theatre’s latest treat. Will madeira materialise as a sad sponge or an exotic location? In The Secrets of Sisters, two sets of two sisters meet in Bewley’s Café and through their conversations their life stories unfold. In each of the two scenarios, a truth is told which necessitates a reassessment of the past. The third and final scene interweaves the links between the four characters, bringing the lunchtime play to a well knitted conclusion.  A doyen of Irish TV and theatre, Geraldine…

Writer: Tennessee Williams Director: Cathal Cleary Tennessee Williams called the Streetcar the ideal metaphor for the human condition, he used the real streetcar in New Orleans to highlight the power of desire as a driving force behind characters actions. The play conveys a sharp critique of the way institutions and attitudes in post war America placed restrictions on women’s lives and dependence on men for sustenance and happiness. The plot revolves around Blanche DuBois who comes to live with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley Kowalski . Blanche faces harsh reality in the grim barren setting of her sister’s…

Writer & Director: Geoff O’Keefe Christmas would not be the same without the annual panto, a tradition that goes back for decades. In fact, a recent study found that most adults who would never go to a dramatic play in the theatre love pantomime, and taking the kids to one during the festive season is only an excuse so that they can go themselves. There is something magical about a good pantomime that appeals to people of all ages! The kids love it, and it takes the rest of us adults on a nostalgic journey right back to the bliss…

Writer: Sheena Lambert  Director: Rex Ryan  Visit Viking immediately for this wonderful one-act, one-person show. Be embraced in the intimacy of this delightful venue for a riveting depiction of a musician’s efforts to circumvent the restrictions of her era. Mary Murray delivers a spirited performance of the talented Cosima trying to establish a music career in the 1850s. Despite her father, Franz Liszt, being a famous pianist, Cosima was thwarted by his notions of propriety. Females from good families did not perform in public. The tribulations of Cosima, from haphazard girlhood to adulthood, and her scandalous liaison with Richard Wagner,…

Writer: Harold Pinter Director: Em Dulson and Karl Falconer It is by definition the most trite and predictable thing to say about any Harold Pinter play that it is “Pinteresque” – the tight, aggressive sentences; the clipped comments; the debates over language; the need to dominate others, and accompanying fear of being dominated; and the pauses, of course, the pauses. The decision by Liverpool’s PurpleDoor, returning to Smock Alley after touring Joe Orton’s Loot last year, to bring two strikingly distinct Pinter plays over four nights, then, is a welcome one. Old Times hews closer to Pinter’s typical form, but…

Writer and Director: Stewart Roche After twenty five years apart, two former lovers, Kelly (Lesly Conroy) and Andrew (Jed Murray) rejoice and reminisce on Christmas Eve in Andrew’s living room. In the beginning you question how they got there but as the story unravels, one drink leads to another and we get enticed into the history of this relationship and their revived connection. When Andrew’s sister, Róisín (Helen McGrath) enters the scene and flips the narrative we learn the power of the mind and realize how unfinished business will forever remain unfinished.  A sentimental start to December, A Christmas Visit…

Music: Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Levan Jagaev The cold, white, frosty evening on Grand Canal Square sets the perfect scene for a presentation of Swan Lake by the State Ballet of Georgia. Every seat in the theatre is taken. It is an extra special treat to have Tchaikovsky’s famous opening Swan Theme played by our very own RTE Concert Orchestra.    The curtain rises on a flurry of colourful activity. In the park to the front of the Royal Palace, Wolfgang, the Master of Ceremonies (David Ananeli) is directing the Court as they prepare for a ball which will celebrate Prince…