Theatre
Highlights
She Stoops To Conquer
Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin Until Jun 2 7.30pm (Sat/Sun mat 2.30pm) €15/€10 01-6770014 smockalley.com
Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer has been the inaugural production of a previous Dublin theatre – in 1871, when it was used to launch the Gaiety. Or, as Smock Alley might call that venerable institution from the perspective of a theatre first established in 1662, “that whippersnapper”.
Smock Alley has been relaunched as a theatre, and it has reached again for Goldsmith’s comedy, first performed there in 1773. So, will a new venture in an historic site remain nostalgically invested in the past, or try to divine new paths for its future?
“I love everything that’s old,” remarks the play’s wealthy Hardcastle, who plots for his daughter to marry Charles Marlow, himself stubbornly attracted to commoners (hence Kate’s strategic “stooping”). “Old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines . . . ” Though Hardcastle is kind enough to include his wife in that list, he does not include plays. Perhaps that’s because he agrees that theatre is a present-tense experience, and even classics, when staged anew, are never historical recreations.
Following Pan Pan’s “pre-launch” visit with a playfully updated version of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Smock Alley announces itself as a venue saturated with history, currently pursuing heritage projects. Like all theatres, however, it could go anywhere from here. Time is on its side.
Can’t See That? Catch This
Silent Peacock Theatre, Dublin
- Belfast
The Civilization Game
Tim Loane's comedy thriller is about a couple who catch a burglar in their home, then consult with their neighbours about a more entertaining approach to criminal justice than calling the police. Lyric Theatre Ends May 26 7.45pm (Sat mat 2.30pm) £22.50/£20 028-90381081 lyrictheatre.co.uk - Sweet Charity
Bruiser Theatre and the MAC collaborate on a revival of the Coleman/Fields/ Simon/Fosse musical in which the unlucky-in-love but big- hearted Miss Charity Hope Valentine awaits both the arrival of Prince Charming and her one big break. MAC May 29- Jun 17 7.45pm (Sat/Sun mat 3pm) £9.50-£22 028-90235053 themaclive.com
- Carlow
Translunar Paradise
A 2011 Edinburgh Fringe success, Theatre Ad Infinitem's piece of mask and movement theatre follows a grieving William into an escapist fantasy of past memories, before his deceased wife Rose revisits to help him let go. The production tours Ireland as part of the Bealtaine Festival.GB Shaw Theatre May 26 8pm €14/€12 059-9172400 gbshawtheatre.ie
- Cork
The Love-Hungry Farmer
Des Keogh revives his 2003 solo performance, based on John B Keane's story, playing the something-year-old virgin, John Bosco McLane and his last attempts to find a suitable wife. Everyman Palace Theatre. Ends May 26 8pm €7-€25 everyman palace.com 021-4501673 - Shakers: Re-Stirred
Cork Arts Theatre stages John Godber's 1980s depiction of a night in the life of four cocktail waitresses and more than 30 other characters - from lads on the pull and overbearing business men to checkout girls celebrating their 21st - all played by the actresses Claire Loy, Rachel O'Connell, Marie O'Donovan and Jan O'Sullivan. Cork Arts Theatre. Until Jun 2 8pm €15/€12 021 450 5624 corkartstheatre.com - The Tailor and Ansty
The Dublin Theatre Company stages PJ O'Connor's 1968 stage adaptation of Eric Cross's once- banned 1940s novel about an Irish storyteller (and tailor) and his wife Anastasia ("Ansty"). With Ronan Wilmot and Ena May. Everyman Palace Theatre May 29-Jun 1 8pm €25/€20 everymanpalace.com 021-4501673
- Dublin
47 Roses
Peter Sheridan performs an autobiographical detective story in which he uncovers the clues of his recently deceased father's life-long relationship with another woman. Bewley's Café Theatre May 28-Jun 8 1.10pm €8-€12 (lunch €4) 086-8784001 bewleyscafetheatre.com - The Blue Boy
The innovative Brokentalkers restages its most impassioned and sombre piece of work, combining live music, choreography, recorded interviews and multimedia to unravel a history of child abuse in Irish industrial schools. As part of the Dublin Dance Festival. Project Arts Centre. May 25 9pm, May 26 3pm & 8pm €22/€18 01-6728815 dublindancefestival.ie [EILOGO2] - The Chairs
Blue Raincoat Theatre, which combines physical and cerebral theatre in its finest displays, revives its 2006 production of Eugene Ionesco's absurdist and philosophical classic for Dublin before touring to Glasgow and Edinburgh. An old man and woman wait for the arrival of the town's people to their lighthouse home, where, speaking through a proxy, the dissatisfied man will impart the meaning of life. Niall Henry directs John Carty, Ciaran McCauley and Sandra O'Malley. Project Arts Centre. May 28-Jun 2 8pm €20/€16 01-8819613 projectartscentre.ie - Discover Dalkey's Literary Gems
Margaret Dunne presents scenes from the work of Flann O'Brien, including scenes from The Dalkey Archive, At Swim Two Birds, The Third Police Man and some of the "Brother" scenes from Cruiskeen Lawn. Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre May 26 12.45pm €8 01-2858366 dalkeycastle.com - Ethica: Four Shorts by Samuel Beckett
Sugarglass Theatre bring four short Beckett dramas (Play, Come and Go, What Need Where, Catastrophe) to the Theatre that bears his name. Samuel Beckett Theatre, TCD May 28-Jun 2 8pm (Sat mat 3pm) €15/€12 01-8962461 tcd.ie - A Galway Girl
Clare Barett and Joe Hanley perform in Geraldine Aron's story of an Irish marriage between two seemingly incompatible people, united through joys and tragedies by an enduring bond. Terry Byrne directs. Bewley's Café Theatre Ends May 26 1.10pm €8-€12 (lunch €4) bewleyscafetheatre.com 086-8784001 - Glengarry Glen Ross
Tony Award-winning director Doug Hughes takes on David Mamet's testosterone-driven classic of frenzied American real estate agents scheming, competing, back-stabbing and sometimes working in order to survive. Gate Theatre Previews until May 28 7.30pm €20 Opens May 29-Jul 14 €15-€25 01-8744045 gate-theatre.ie [EILOGO2] - Greener
The world-beating theatre company Landmark returns with Fiona Looney's third play, completing a trilogy in which Pauline McLynn and Deirdre O'Kane play best friends and neighbours, here divided by a precipitous windfall which makes the grass on the other side more enviable. Gaiety Theatre Ends May 26 8pm (Sat mat 3pm) €25-€€.50 0818-719388 ticketmaster.ie - James Joyce's Dubliners
Wonderland Productions presents an ambitious adaptation of James Joyce's short story collection, staged as a self-guided audio walking tour through the streets and historic buildings in which the stories take place. An ensemble cast, led by Barry McGovern, bring those stories to life, which can be experienced as either A Full Day's Epic (6-7 hours) or A Half Day's Adventure (3-4 hours). The journey begins at the Dublin Writer's Museum. Dublin Writer's Museum Ends May 31 A Full Day's Epic: 10am (Sun 11am) €19/€15; A Half Day's Adventure: walks begin from 10.30-11.30am or 4-4.30pm (Sun 11am-11.30am, 4-4.30pm) €12/€10 entertainment.ie [EILOGO2] - The King and I
Leicester's Curve Theatre dusts down the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical in which a British governess is brought to the court of Siam to tutor the king's children, modernising the culture and initiating a love that cannot be expressed. Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Ends May 26 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm) €20-€48 0818-719377 bordgaisenergytheatre.ie - Love in the Title
In Hugh Leonard's bold experiment with time lines, three women - Katie, her mother Triona, and her mother's mother Cat - slip out of their respective places in history to meet each other in the prime of their lives. They enthuse, bicker and argue about life to discover their own place in the world. New Theatre Until Jun 2 8pm €15/€12 01-6703361 thenewtheatre.com - The Love-Hungry Farmer
Des Keogh revives his 2003 solo performance, based on John B Keane's story, playing the something-year-old virgin, John Bosco McLane and his last attempts to find a suitable wife. Mill Theatre, Dundrum May 30-Jun 1 8pm €18/€15 01-2969340 milltheatre.ie - Macklin: Method and Madness
Antelope Productions presents a new play by Gary Jermyn and Michael James Ford, who also perform, set in a BBC radio studio during the Blitz where a play celebrating 18th-century actor is about to be broadcast come hell or air- raid warning. Viking Theatre@ The Sheds, Clontarf May 28-Jun 2 8pm €10 087-1129970 - O'Casey and More
Dublin Shakespeare Society stages three one-act plays: Sean O'Casey's Health Services drama Hall of Healing, George Mackay Brown's Stormwatchers and Richard James's Moving On. T@36, Parnell Sq Ends May 26 8pm €15/€12 085-8432881 - The Parting Glass
Ray Yeats performs Dermot Bolger's excellent monologue, a follow- up to In High Germany, which now finds Eoin reunited with his friends in the Stade de France in 2009, when the Irish team's hopes were sundered while the nation readjusted to its own poor fortune. Viking Theatre@ thesheds, Clontarf Ends May 26 8pm €10 087-1129970 - Pigeon
Ciarán Taylor and Carpet Theatre stage a new wordless production, dependent on physical performance, masks and music (from Jack Cawley and Steve Wickham) of an ordinary man who reaches his breaking point and goes into DIY overdrive, fixing everything within reach, unsure if he is losing his job, his house, his wife or his mind. Pau Cirer, Ruth Lehane and Karl Quinn perform. Project Arts Centre Until Jun 2 8.15pm €16/€12 01-8819613 projectartscentre.ie - She Stoops to Conquer
Following its debut at the theatre in 1773, Oliver Goldsmith's comedy of miscommunication and mistaken identity returns to open the new Smock Alley Theatre, staged by its new in-house repertory company, both of them back in business after a long hiatus. Smock Alley Theatre Until Jun 2 7.30pm (Sat and Sun 2.30pm) €15/€10 01-6770014 smockalley.com - Silent
Pat Kinevane's one-man performance for Fishamble, one part whimsy to two parts acid, returns to let the homeless and mentally disordered Valentino (who has silent-movie idol looks and a name to match) recall the many suicide attempts of his brother. Peacock Theatre May 30-Jun 16 (no performance Jun 14) 8pm €25/€18 abbeytheatre.ie - Songs of Joyce
Sinead Murphy and Darina Gallagher evoke Joycean Dublin with a selection of Edwardian songs drawn from the writer's life and works, from bawdy street ballads, to cheeky ditties and stately gems, all served over dinner. Promenade Café, Dún Laoghaire May 25-26 7pm €35 (incl supper) 01-2148710 promenadecafe.ie - The Steward of Christendom
The last chief superintendent of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, now a patient in a county home, looks back on his life trying to keep his memories and ghosts at bay. Theatre@36, Parnell Sq May 29-Jun 9 7.30pm (mat Jun 5 2.30pm) €15 087-2575105 - That's About the Size of It
Niamh Shaw presents her autobiographical solo show about science, art and how they help us understand the mysteries of the universe and the riddles of ourselves. Úna Kavanagh directs. Science Gallery, TCD May 25 6.30pm €12/€10 sciencegallery.com - Zocorro Presents a Brand New Comedy Show
The disgraced Spanish Rose of Tralee, thrown out following a random urine test, returns with a new approach to eligibility, with a clone of the all-time sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, in the making. Mill Theatre, Dundrum Ends May 26 8.15pm €12/€10 01-2969340 milltheatre.ie
- Galway
DruidMurphy: Plays by Tom Murphy
Before it travels the world (opening in the Hampstead Theatre, as part of the London 2012 Festival, then appearing in New York's Lincoln Centre before its official Irish opening at this year's Galway Arts Festival), Druid's trio of Tom Murphy plays begins at home, with a substantial Galway preview. That may be apposite: staged together, Famine, A Whistle in the Dark and Conversations on a Homecoming map the course of Irish emigration from 1846 to 1970. Town Hall Theatre Performed in rotation May 25- Jun 9 8pm €18-€25 (entire cycle Jun 3/9 €50-€60) tht.ie 091-569777
- Kerry
Moonshine
Jim Nolan's play, staged by Torch, puts two stories in converging tracks, the closure of a small village's Protestant church due to diminishing congregation and an amateur Shakespeare production which will change the lives of six ordinary people. St Johns Theatre, Listowel May 31 8.30pm 8pm €12/€10 stjohnstheatrelistowel.com 068-22566
- Kildare
Translunar Paradise
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge May 25 8pm €15/ €12 045-448319 riverbank.ie
- Limerick
Love All
CheeryWild's excellent and high-spirited comedy recounts the true-life(ish) story of Vere St Ledger Goold, the 19th-century Irish tennis legend who went from Wimbledon to prison through a convoluted series of unfortunate and scandalous events. Performers Aideen Wylde and Tadhg Hickey serve an ace production. Belltable Arts Centre May 25 8pm €18/€16 061-319866 belltable.ie - Moonshine
Jim Nolan's play, staged by Torch, puts two stories in converging tracks, the closure of a small village's Protestant church due to diminishing congregation and an amateur Shakespeare production which will change the lives of six ordinary people. Community Centre, Rathkeale. May 27 8pm €10 086-2381780
- Sligo
The Man in the Woman's Shoes
Developed with older age groups in Sligo by Mikel Murfi, the writer/performer/ director brings to life a humorous and poignant amalgam of the familiar and sometimes contrary folk remembered from around the county. As part of Bealtaine Festival. Hawk's Well Theatre May 31 7pm Adm free 071-9161518 hawkswell.com
- Tipperary
Love All
The Source Theatre, Thurles May 26 8pm €18/€16 0504-90204 thesourceartscentre.ie
- Waterford
Love All
CheeryWild's excellent and high-spirited comedy recounts the true-life(ish) story of Vere St Ledger Goold, the 19th-century Irish tennis legend who went from Wimbledon to prison through a convoluted series of unfortunate and scandalous events. Performers Aideen Wylde and Tadhg Hickey serve an ace production. Garter Lane Arts Centre May 31-Jun 2 8pm €20/€15 051-855038 garterlane.ie
- Westmeath
The Love-Hungry Farmer
Des Keogh revives his 2003 solo performance, based on John B Keane's story, playing the something-year-old virgin, John Bosco McLane and his last attempts to find a suitable wife. Mullingar Arts Centre May 29 8pm €20/€16 044-9347777
- Wexford
A Game of Two Halves
Here's a timely revival of two football dramas: In High Germany, Dermot Bolger's poignant piece about Irish émigrés chasing the national squad around Europe; and Willy Russell's piece on a neighbourhood divided by the prospect of painting their homes in the team colours. Wexford Arts Centre May 25-26 8pm €14/€12 053-9123764 wexfordartscentre.ie - SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin Until Jun 2 7.30pm (Sat/Sun mat 2.30pm) ¤15/¤10 01-6770014 smockalley.com
[EILOGO2] Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer has been the inaugural production of a previous Dublin theatre - in 1871, when it was used to launch the Gaiety. Or, as Smock Alley might call that venerable institution from the perspective of a theatre first established in 1662, "that whippersnapper". Smock Alley has been relaunched as a theatre, and it has reached again for Goldsmith's comedy, first performed there in 1773. So, will a new venture in an historic site remain nostalgically invested in the past, or try to divine new paths for its future? "I love everything that's old," remarks the play's wealthy Hardcastle, who plots for his daughter to marry Charles Marlow, himself stubbornly attracted to commoners (hence Kate's strategic "stooping"). "Old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines . . . " Though Hardcastle is kind enough to include his wife in that list, he does not include plays. Perhaps that's because he agrees that theatre is a present-tense experience, and even classics, when staged anew, are never historical recreations. Following Pan Pan's "pre-launch" visit with a playfully updated version of Ibsen's A Doll's House, Smock Alley announces itself as a venue saturated with history, currently pursuing heritage projects. Like all theatres, however, it could go anywhere from here. Time is on its side. [BYLINE9]PETER CRAWLEY - Silent
Peacock Theatre, Dublin
