Musings Listings: January 2011

Happy 2011! One of my resolutions this year is to make this blog brilliant. One of the areas I feel that need improvement is promotion. Indeed, most of the shows I write about have finished their run by the time I get my pieces about them up. Thus, welcome to a new feature of Musings: a monthly listing of the shows that are on during the given month.

I’m happy to see that January 2011 is notable for other than the panto procession which usually dominates this time of year (though if you do fancy seeing Jafar, Abu, Iago, and company then the Gaiety is the place to go). Personally, my pick of the month is Forced Entertainment’s Void Story (pictured above) (Project Arts Centre, 13-14). Not often do these theatrical daredevils touch down on Irish soil, and those who know them know that they have an uncanny ability to warp theatrical form to marvellously demented results. The play tells the story of two survivors of a decimated civilization in a sort of ‘visual-radio play’ style.

 Also worth going to (even if have already) is The Company’s As You Are No So Once Were We(*), which has its well-earned run on Peacock stage, 25^th-Feb 5^th . Brilliant show.

 * Original review:

http://musingsinintermissions.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-of-irish-theatre-2010-5-company-as.html#more

Also over in Dublin …

Mikel Murfi’s production of Dion Boucicault’s heroic comedy Arrah-Na-Pogue is in the Abbey until Feb 5^th. Murfi has become an expert in bringing out the comic lunacy in his collaborations with Enda Walsh, would be interesting to see what he does with Boucicault.

Alice Coughlan and Wonderland Productions continue their series of literary adaptations with Gulliver’s Travels in Smock Alley until Jan 22^nd.   

Also on the Project (11^th-29^th) is Jody O’Neill’s Celebrity, which imbues the classical love story with all the fabricated realities of modern-day technology and social networking. An accompanying website which ties into the play’s world can be located at www.celebritymagazine.ie. Be interesting to see.

Galway’s TrueWest Theatre take over Bewley’s Lunchtime with their production of Mike O’Halloran’s The Head of Red O’Brien (10^th-29^th). O’Halloran was smitten with the company’s production last Spring and even gave them a never-before-seen sister piece, Mary Motorhead (pictured below), which plays from Jan 31^st – Feb 19^th. 

 

Dog and String Theatre come to the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge on the 22^nd with their Tales from the Forest. Dog and String came to the Galway Theatre Festival last October and did some really gorgeous work – using the simplest flourishes to beautiful effect. Probably brilliant for kids.

On the 28^th Barry McKinley’s Elysium Nevada (nominated for Irish Times Theatre Awards Best New Play 2009) will be in Riverbank along with another play – Lost City. Both plays will also be in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway 24^th-26^th.  

Edoardo Erba’s Marathon will be staged in the Town Hall, Jan 31^st – Feb 1^st. I’ve heard a lot of compliments about Niall Cleary’s direction

The best show of the month? Well, even better than Void Story and As You Are Now So Once Were We (yeah, that’s right) will be my theatre company Wrong Curtain’s production: Cíosa Le Gear in the Town Hall Jan 18^th-21^st. Cíosa is a real-life girl and musician, and we have made a theatrical carousel from her and our own rapports with ‘music’. Come! And if anyone feels like writing about it, please send your scribbles in. I would do a review myself but it would probably be a little bit biased.

Finally: Limerick Unfringed gets underway at the end of the month (26^th – 30^th). An interesting line-up, which includes Life in Dresses from last year’s Fringe as well as a new play by local scribe Meadhbh Haicéid. Headlining is CoisCéim’s Swimming With My Mother – performed by choreographer extraordinaire David Bolger and his mother as they recount their lives together in swimming and dance. Beautiful.