On the Town: Some sisters and brothers, who attended The Story of the Bull this week, were thrilled and amazed by the opening performance.
"Fantastic, amazing and insightful," said Deirdre Carroll, of The Bridge Gallery in Dublin. Her sister, Sorcha, agreed, as did Deirdre's partner, Ciarán Mac an Bhaird, of DCU's Fiontar, the finance-through-Irish degree programme. "It's loosely based on the Táin, but it's an irreverent modern look at it. It was splendid," he concluded.
Gerry Mayock and his sister, Breda, from Ross village near Castlebar in Co Mayo, were equally delighted with the Dublin Theatre Festival's major Irish commissioned piece, which opened at the O'Reilly Theatre in Belvedere College on Great Denmark Street.
"It's very funny and bloody dangerous," said Fergus Linehan, the former director of the theatre festival, who is now director of the Sydney Festival in Australia. He was joined by his parents, Rosaleen and Fergus Linehan.
Also in attendance was Fearghus Ó Conchúir, the choreographer, from the Ring Gaeltacht in Co Waterford and currently Ireland fellow on the Clore Leadership programme. Olwen Fouéré's performance as Maebhdh was particularly powerful and effective, he said: "Chuaigh sé sin go mór i bhfeidhm orm."
Others at the opening night of The Story of the Bull, which is the creation of Michael Keegan-Dolan and the Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, included a sculptor from Buenes Aires, Romina Pecchenino Ehlers; composer and singer Julie Feeney, whose album, 13 Songs, has just been released; and RTÉ producer Séamus Hosey.
"The word dance is too narrow a concept to describe it," said Hosey afterwards of the performance. "It was one of the most wickedly subversive pieces of theatre."
Tony Ó Dálaigh, a former director of the theatre festival, and his wife, Maggie, along with Derek Keogh, chair of Opera Ireland, and his wife, Rhona, chatted afterwards about the "lively and energetic" piece of theatre, particularly the finale, which "is a knockout".
The Story of the Bull, by Michael Keegan-Dolan, runs at the O'Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College, Great Denmark Street, until Sat, Oct 15