Writer & Director: Rachel Ní Bhraonáin Choreographer: Robyn Byrne “A mosh pit: an area in front of the stage at a rock concert, where people dance in a violent manner involving jumping up and down and deliberately colliding with others.” To the unaware:, a mosh pit might look terrifying—an arena of chaos, aggression, and danger. But in MOSH, this small community of five dancers reveal something far deeper: a euphoric act of unity. Through movement, storytelling, and sheer physicality, they break down the science of a mosh pit and uncover a system of respect, catharsis, and connection. After an award-winning…
Author: The Reviews Hub - Ireland
The Reviews Hub - Ireland
The Ireland team is currently under the editorship of Laura Marriott. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.
Director & Choreographer: Matthew Bourne Composer: Peter Tchaikovsky Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is gracing Dublin stages again for the first time since 2019 as a part of the Dublin Dance Festival 2025. First staged in 1995 in London, Bourne’s version of the classic ballet by Tchaikovsky is best known for having the traditionally female parts of the swans danced by men. Bourne’s contemporary story sees the prince searching for his inner self despite a domineering mother and the pressures that come with royal life. An accessible introduction to ballet for the masses, Bourne uses both classical ballet and other styles…
Writer, Choreographer & Director: Luke Murphy Dublin’s Abbey Theatre plays host tonight to Dublin Dance Festival’s Artist in Residence, Luke Murphy’s latest production, Scorched Earth. Under the auspices of his multidisciplinary company, Attic Projects, he presents a contemporary mash-up of John B Keane’s play The Field via an expanse of mediums. In a Garda interview room, the two way mirror on the wall behind a desk and chair becomes a film screen. Snapshots of a field followed by a series of sepia-tinged newspaper articles outlining the violent repercussions of various land-based disputes across the length and breadth of Ireland, flash…
The International Literature Festival Dublin has brought a wealth of children’s entertainment for its 2025 edition. Aisling Breen’s Sensory Storytime is among them. Beginning with every parent’s nightmare, a sing along to Baby Shark, much to the delight of every toddler in the room. We were introduced to Sally Shark who is a little nervous and needed everyone to sing to her to help her feel better. We go straight from there into the first book Peekaboo Shark. Aisling was calm and easy with the children, even throwing in a couple of jokes for the adults in attendance. She is…
Director: Graham Watts Court was in session in Vicar Street Dublin for the murder trial of Dale Irvine. Accused of killing his wife Meg, his trial is played out in front of a live audience who become the jury. Strobe lights, dramatic music and a flashing justice symbol kick off the show followed by a video outlining the circumstances of the case. It is, very much, a show. Leaning heavily into entertainment rather than realism, understandably maybe, but possibly disappointing to anyone attending for a more realistic experience. Particularly with true crime being as popular as it is nowadays. The…
Writer: Felix Brown Director: Michael James Forde Friends in Berlin, written and performed by Felix Brown, tells the fascinating story of William Patrick Hitler, the son of Hitler’s half-brother, Alois, and his Irish wife, Bridget Dowling. The couple met while Alois was working in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. William Patrick visits Berlin as an adult and discovers his unknown German relatives, including his uncle Adolph, and therein lies the dramatic tension waiting in the background to unfold. As a writer and actor, Felix Brown shapes all the elements of suspense, complication, climax, and resolution in this fifty-five-minute piece. The…
Writer: Rachel Huggins On a sunny Friday morning, a little bit of magic kicked off the day’s events at the 2025 International Literature Festival Dublin. Meet our Friends the Dragons is an abridged version of two larger shows by Dragon Song Productions, The Moon Dragon and The Sea Dragon. Bertie the Moon Dragon is responsible for raising the moon into the sky but when he falls asleep one night, he needs help from a colourful cast of characters and the audience to get him back to work. In The Sea Dragon, the colours from the coral reef have mysteriously faded.…
Writer, Director, & Choreographer: Oona Doherty From the brilliant mind of Oona Doherty comes Specky Clark. A fictionalised version of her great great grandfather’s life after his mother dies and he is sent to live with the Clarks in Belfast. Doherty’s script is funny and poignant, weaved throughout with local legends such as the fairy twins and the fastest pig. The voice of the narrator is friendly and inviting as he guides us through the tale of Edward James Doherty, later renamed Specky. The show opens with a body dropping to the floor and a young boy, Edward, screaming. Immediately…