Entertainment
Spiegeltent brings burlesque glamour to Comedy Carnival
Galway’s Vodafone Comedy Carnival will centre around a unique venue, the 500 person Spiegeltent in South Park.
Around the year 1900, “Magic Mirror Tents” or “Spiegeltents” were built in Belgium to be used as travelling dance halls. Mirrors made it possible to make discreet eye contact with others. These Magic Mirror tents were the domain of the night owls, heartbreakers and dream chasers. They were legendary and remain a symbol of the wild ‘fin-de-siècle’ nightlife.
In recent years, there has been a Spiegeltent revival and a select few still travel the world hosting unforgettable nights of quality entertainment. Each one is considered a performer and has its own name and identity.
This October, Galway is being visited by the stunning 1930’s Spiegeltent ‘Paradiso’. It combines the concepts of a ‘Kabaret Salon’ with an intimate concert hall. Like every old theatre, her ghosts are said to travel with her. They are woven into the ballooning velvet canopies, circular teak dance floor and stained cut-glass windows. Standing alone in one is eerie, you can imagine the intimate booths, ornate bars and bevelled mirror columns holding a million secrets.
When the full house signs go up however, everything becomes charged. There is electricity in every live performance. In the Spiegeltent, magic is commonplace. The ordinary becomes extraordinary and the extraordinary becomes magnificent.
This catalytic effect is never more pronounced than at a comedy show. The atmosphere is charged. The jokes are more potent and the laughs are louder and longer.
Festival sponsors Vodafone are building a comedy village around the Spiegeltent as South Park becomes comedy HQ for twelve days. There will be bars, food stalls, mini theatres and more. Quirky delights will abound and that’s just outside the tent.
Inside the tent, we imagine that festival headliner Tommy Tiernan will feel right at home on the kind of stage where Marlene Dietrich sang ‘Falling In love Again’ in the 1930’s. The rest of the lineup is just as impressive. With kid’s shows by day and the adult stuff at night, there’s something for everyone.
Fancy seeing Reginald D Hunter, David McSavage, Glenn Wool, Red Bastard and John Colleary? Well you can because they are all on together and that’s just one night. There truly is something for everyone. There will also be an opening, a mid-festival and a closing Gala held in the Spiegeltent this year featuring the very best acts in the festival and some surprises. Tickets are on sale now. Early purchase is advisable.
Got a group of 8? Book a private booth with table service and priority access for you and your friends. Whatever you do, make sure you come down early and enjoy a true festive atmosphere. All shows are fully seated and ridiculously comfortable.
In a city that is more than a little proud of its gorgeous Arts Festival Big Top, Spiegeltent Pardiso is a welcome guest and a magnificent addition to our growing festival.
See www.vodafonecomedycarnival.com for more details.