Leigh's Theatre Blog

The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. - Oscar Wilde

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The Waste Ground Party Review

Shaun Dunne is a 21 year old playwright from Dublin. This is his first play performed in Ireland's National Theatre. what better subject matter than a dublin waste ground being transformed into a childrens playground. 

I went to see The Waste Ground Party on Halloween night. I hadn't really heard much about it but was so excited to see Shaun Dunnes work. I really really enjoyed it (except for the fact some guy with a MASSIVE FAT HEAD sat directly in front of me, grrrrr)

the play was just right down my alley. Modern, True to life and unapologetic. the fact that if i were to explain it there wouldnt be much of a story just shows that its the language and the basicness of it that carries the play. The main actors were young and it almost seemed like they werent acting, they were just so perfect for the parts. It was also only 70 minutes long, which meant it was to the point, with practically no filler at all.

I would really recommend anyone to go see this play, i really cannot wait to see more of shaun dunnes work in future. 

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So Excited!

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freddie-ly0n said:  ”I will not be outbittered by a lemon, Bertie.” Hahhahahaha that play is my life. :(  I just wanted to ask you if you ever have the time will you recommend me some irish films and stuff and just irish things in general? Hope you’re okay with your new job and stuff I heard you were having a bit of a tough time! D: <333333

hahahah that play has ruined my life. 

PART ONE.

ok so this is one of my favorite things i’ve been asked because i am so SO PASSIONATE ABOUT IRISH THEATRE AND FILM so im gonna kinda just think out loud post and shove a few lists here of films and shows and actors and shizzzz

Irish Playwrights:

Mark O’Rowe 

Mark is probably one of Ireland’s most controversial playwrights (but also one of the most loved). he specializes in taking ordinary situations and mixing them of disturbing and dark events which leave you questioning everything you ever thought about anything. Plays of his I would recommend are the ones i’ve personally seen live: Our Few and Evil Days and Howie the Rookie. Mark is one of the most outrageous men to write plays I’ve ever experienced, and he reminds me of an edgy jez butterworth. However, i feel like a lot of non-irish people could struggle with the language and the way its written? maybe not though.

Enda Walsh

No list of irish theatre would be complete without mentioning me baby  enda. enda, like mark, works with very dark and controversial topics, however he usually works within the realm of fantasy (especially ballyturk i mean what the fuck) What I love the most about Endas works is that he takes complete control of every aspect of his shows. He very often directs his own plays, but also is in control of the set design, Music and behind the scenes stuff. I would recommend buying his ‘plays:’ books, particularly plays: two because it has some of his strongest works,like ballyturk (which i had the pleasure if seeing the very first performance of it) and the walworth farce (which im seeing in january, staring all of the Gleeson boys!) Language would be lost on ‘non-irish’ people, but it would be let noticeable than marks work. He also writes screenplays like Steve McQueen’s amazing Hunger. 

Brian Friel

Brian is a mixed bag for me. I mean, he is definitely one of irelands best known playwrights, and most celebrated, but his plays are nearly too Irish for me? he works are usually good, but hard to understand if you’ve never been in the west of ireland, for language and subject matter. Friel deals with religion in a major way- and depicts it in a positive and negative light, which hits home for the irish quite a lot. I would recommend ‘Philadelphia here i come’, ‘Dancing at lughnasa’ and ”Aristocrats’ by him to get a feel of his works. 

Mark O’Halloran

Mark is super special to me because i met him a few times and he’s super super sweet and an amazing actor. But he is also a celebrated playwright and rightfully so. Mark is always writing plays, and often bases his work on true life Irish events. his current touring work, ‘Lippy’ is in New York and is getting fantastic reviews (i wont ruin it for you guys) and is returning to Ireland in feb and im SO EXCITED. he also wrote screenplays and is amazing at it, see adam & paul and Garage.  

 Thats just a few of my favorite modern Irish playwrights, i could write so much more about it too! <3

PS. i have a blog about theatre blog here- check it out! 

[ohfuckyeahcillianmurphy]

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The Mariner Review

So on Friday after work i headed in (through the lashings of rain) to the Gate Theatre to see the Mariner by Hugo Hamilton, an original play written for Dublin's Theatre Festival.

The play itself left me kinda confused whether i liked it or not. the story itself was good, a navy sailor returns home to his wife and mother after the battle of Jutland unable to speak, and the relationships he experiences take some serious changes and turns.

The play was 75 minutes long without an interval and yet i found it to be dragging in parts. however, the actors were incredible and well capable of keeping the entire audience in the palm of their hands. 3 actors in total and able to keep the crowds guessing? that was pretty awesome.

The set was sparse and kinda looked like he inside of an old ship, which meant you focused more on the actors and their story, a technique Hamilton seems to used often in his work.

So yeah. i enjoyed the play- but i wouldn't go to see it again. 

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Our Few and Evil Days Review

yesterday i went to the abbeys production of our few & evil days as part of dublins theatre festival. granted that this was only the second ever public production and its still part of the previews, but the show was completely airtight it was like they’ve been acting it forever.

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Our Few and Evil Days Review

yesterday i went to the abbeys production of our few & evil days as part of dublins theatre festival. granted that this was only the second ever public production and its still part of the previews, but the show was completely airtight it was like they've been acting it forever.

the blurb in the dublin theatre festival programme describes our few and evil days as follows:

‘If I tell you, then everything’s going to change’

Adele and her parents have always been close. But recently, that closeness has been tainted by an increasing sense of mistrust. Tonight, a visit from a stranger will force them to confront the terrifying reality of their relationship.

when i first read this i was like 'ok? whatever' but i've had these tickets since june and i was still really excited to experience a mark o rowe play this early on in its run and tom vaughan lawlor i mean COME ON.

Its difficult to explain the play without giving too much away- but when there are signs all over the theatre saying 'Contains material which some may find disturbing.' and then you're warned again when you pick up tickets you immediately begin to guess what exactly the material could be. but lemmie tell ya, you will not see THAT coming. fucking hell. 

on a technical front: the set was probably one of the most amazingly realistic sets I've ever seen in the abbey. the set stretched to the very edge of the stage and no matter where you were seated you felt like you were sitting in the living room/kitchen. the kitchen was like a real working kitchen, sink worked and everything. the music was really ominous, like unfitting to the situation before it becomes wayyyyyy fitting for the situation. 

The writing was so realistic for Dublin actors, i bought the script and couldn't believe that every small thing was scripted, it was so true to life that often i felt like i was 1 of the 4 people in the room  (and i know that im not the only one, you could hear many people going 'Oh jesus' and gasping like they were there) and the acting was flawless. Ciaran Hinds and Sinead Cusack played such strong characters faced with the worlds toughest subjects and tackled them masterfully. another stand out performance was from Tom Vaughan Lawlor who had to play a seemingly lovely and kind man who has to twist into a darker character in a nanosecond. his acting was flawless and would be worth seeing again just to study the way he approached this complex character.

this was a fantastic start to the dublin theatre festival, and i would urge anyone to see this if they can! 

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For the first time ever, veteran Irish actor Brendan Gleeson will team up with his sons Domhnall and Brian to act, as the trio are set to star in a new production of Enda Walsh’s play The Walworth Farce.

Directed by multiple Olivier Award winner Sean Foley, the play opens in Dublin on January 14, 2015 and runs for four weeks.

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Lots of theatre coming up in the next few months:

Our Few and Evil Days (and a talk meeting the makers following it)

The Waste Ground Party 

Howie the rookie

dara o briain (?) (does that count?)

She Stoops to conquer

Lippy

Not including dublins theatre festival which starts tomorrow!  

[ohfuckyeahcillianmurphy]

Ballyturk news!

The play’s original score composed by Teho Teardo goes on sale September 11 on itunes and at the National Theatre shop. It’ll be available everywhere on LP and CD in October. This is the cover art.

Enda Walsh’s second collection of plays is being released on September 11 and includes Ballyturk and also My Friend Duplicity, a short play he wrote that inspired Ballyturk. You can watch a performance of that play here.

There’s a gaping hole in the new St Ann’s Warehouse Fall 2014/Spring 2015 schedule, from January 22 to March 1. That’s on hold for the New York opening of Ballyturk. Irish government cultural grant approved, still not confirmed, but stay tuned.

Bonus: the Jaw Clench™ makes a brief appearance in the new Ballyturk trailer because it will not be held back. Ever. :)

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Cant Wait to get these!

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'We didn’t know at that time he was a significant writer. He was just a young writer with energy and attitude. And great hair. So I was spoilt. It was a break for me. I just love his sense of humour, the way he smashes comedy up against tragedy. His plays could never work on television or film,...

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If anyones having Ballyturk withdrawals (or wants to know what to expect) this is *the* song. 

and its super catchy

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Heres a look at the ballyturk programme is anyone was unlucky enough not to get one (i know it they sold out of them last night)

The programme gave the work more gravity, in my opinion. Filled with high def, beautiful production shots, poetry from one of irelands best know poets, seamus heaney, and concept photos that really only make sense if you've seen the play, it really is as detailed and interpretive as the play itself. 

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Ballyturk Review

I had the luck to see ballyturk twice during it's world premiere in the olympia theatre, dublin. Review below the pop. 

In short i found the play to be Phenomenal. 

like sweet baby jesus that shit was good. 

I’m already trying to think of someone who would go with me again later in the week. 

Its a difficult story to explain, but its basically about 2 brothers living in a room with no windows or doors, their only escape through their shared fictitious town of ballyturk. Like i said before, i wasn't really aware of how amazing cillian murphy actually is. He has this amazing ability to become completely innocent, just a look from him would break your heart (bear in mind that i was in the upper circle and literally miles away from his perfect innocent face). there was such a heartbreaking scene where he bangs his head off the wall until it bled :(

the 2 other actors, stephen rea and mikel murfi were perfect for their roles. murfi in particular had an amazing energy, and could swap between being deep and emotional to hyper and almost psychotic in an instant. both him and murphy made the play what it was.

the set and music were incredible. the set was scattered with drawings and scribbles and props were thrown all over the place. the music was a mix of 80s tunes (cillian can DANCE) and eery instrumental pieces.  also (this is just for anne-lise) at the very beginning it starts with the brothers waking, stripping off and showering. cillian murphy ladies and gents. cillian murphy is pure muscle. pure muscle and nothing else. bone and muscle. he also has no bum. but watching him prancing about to 80s songs in nothing but tighty whities could calm a cough lemmie tell ya.

the second time i sat in the stalls, and even though i was way way wayyyy at the back but it was still 1000 times better than the upper circle view.

the story resonated so much more with me this time- it really is the most incredible play. i was overwhelmed to the point of distraction at points throughout (but thats just because i have terrible concentration). Cillian, Mikel and Stephen give heartbreaking performances, balanced with hyperactivity and hilarity. 

so all in all the play was incredibly dark and funny and sweet and sad. all my london pals go catch it in the national when it arrives in september. you wont regret it. 

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Yesterday I went to see Aristocrats in the abbey and it was so much better than i expected! For some reason I find Friels work kinda same-y but even though it was set in ballybeg like most of his others, this was so different! Very very Irish but i loved it! So glad i got to see it!