Entertainment
Drama of sexual desire and deception gets new lease of life from Galway group
Patrick Marber’s play, Closer will be staged at the Town Hall Studio from June 5-8 in a new production from local company, Anam Theatre.
Directed by Sarah O’Toole, Closer is a savage and melodramatic exploration into the anatomy of modern romance. Set in 1990s London, the play follows Alice, a one-time stripper, and Dan, an obituary writer, who are in a relationship. Dan takes a shine to Anna, a photographer, and unwittingly sets her up with Larry, a dermatologist.
This quartet of strangers, who are adrift in a cosmopolitan world, one of computers and the internet, seek to connect but find themselves caught in a web of sexual desire and betrayal.
Closer was hailed as one of the best plays of 1990s, one that “wired itself into the cultural vocabulary in a way that few plays have ever done”, according to the London Observer. It was also made into a popular film starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts.
This production includes two well-known Galway actors. Grace Kiely, who nominated for an Irish Times award for her performance in The Mai last year and Martin Maguire, who previously appeared in Mephisto’s productions of The Honeyspike and Almost a Fantasy. Newcomers Róisín Eyres and Cormac Culkeen will also feature.
Closer’s director, Sarah O’Toole is a former member of Galway Youth Theatre and a graduate of the Gaiety School of Acting. She worked as a theatre actor in Dublin as well as appearing in the film Disco Pigs and RTÉ’s Fair City, before going on to train as a director on Middlesex University’s MA in Theatre Directing course. As part of her studies she spent time training at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow.
Since returning to Galway Sarah has been involved with Anam, which stages original, classic and modern plays.
The company is influenced by the theatre philosophy of Michael Chekhov and is “committed to exploring great writing in order to present simple, elegant and truthful work”.
As well as working with Anam, Sarah teaches beginner and specialised drama classes for adults with Galway Actors Workshop and teaches acting and playwriting at NUI.
l Closer runs from June 5 to 8 at 8.30pm in the Town Hall Theatre Studio. Tickets €15/12, available from http://tht.ie, 091 569777, or at the box office.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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