:lol: :lol: :lol:
Cheers for the review Rocko. Seems it’s not as brilliant as I’d thought it would be.
I’ve been to concerts in the Olympia and can’t imagine it being great for plays.
[quote=“The Runt, post: 42527”]
Cheers for the review Rocko. Seems it’s not as brilliant as I’d thought it would be.
I’ve been to concerts in the Olympia and can’t imagine it being great for plays.[/quote]
It’s not dreadful or anything. Just more of the Tom Crean or Alone it Stands type of production.
Did it leave you with an sense of wanting to kill brits?
[quote=“The Runt, post: 42529”]
Did it leave you with an sense of wanting to kill brits?[/quote]
Rocko gets that sense brushing his teeth.
I’m not sure it strengthened my feeelings really.
If you were a Yank who knew nothing about the conflict and went to see it I don’t think you’d come away with any understanding at all of why there was a war, nevermind who was dirtier in their war tactics.
No offence Rocko but it’s hard to take seriously the opinion of a geebag who can’t manage to eat a sweet at the same time as drinkIng a can or indeed a purported reviewer who can’t even follow who the actors are.
I’d stick to reviewing the ice creams if I were you
Hmmmm.
How did it deal with the “false surrender” at Kilmichael?
what were the special effects like?
Rocko was probably bouncing up and down on his squeaky seat or croaking on a Murray Mint at that point Runt.
[quote=“The Runt, post: 42533”]
Hmmmm.
How did it deal with the “false surrender” at Kilmichael?[/quote]
That was just before the interval I think so I was a little peckish and possibly distracted as a result.
It certainly got a bit of attention but it was again told as a third party type of account so the deviousness, while pointed out, doesn’t have the same impact. It was a bit like a guy in the pub telling you he nearly won a hand of poker and lost it unluckily rather than seeing it play out yourself.
I would concur with Rocko’s summation. It was fair. There is no typical plot as it’s an account which abruptly ends, like alot of these accounts, at the Truce. For those not going to the play, I’ll give a quick summary.
Mesopotamia
Kilmichael
Upton
Crossbarry
Trip to Dublin
The Truce
The End
On a side note, the Olympia was incredibly hot I thought, Tom Barry’s fag smelled like hash, latecomers were shamefully accomodated when they should have been locked out.
So they do mention that he was in the British Army.
SS*, I see you must be enjoying your read of the bureau of military history site. What did you make of Maurice Meade (another army man)?
[quote=“ciarancareyshurlingarmy, post: 42538”]So they do mention that he was in the British Army.
SS*, I see you must be enjoying your read of the bureau of military history site. What did you make of Maurice Meade (another army man)?[/quote]
It’s mentioned repeatedly and he’s in the British Army in the opening scene.
Meade was ruthless, some man to have in the column I’d say. You’d wonder what the Cork boys are beating themselves up over with the ‘false surrender’ business. Meade had no qualms about saying he shot tans after they surrendered, just like the Brits did with IRA and worse. Think some other lad was ordered to do it at Dromkeen but couldn’t. Would be naive to think that war is a clean fight. The yanks killed scores of surrdendered Italians in 1943, applauded by a ‘hero’ like Patton. Meade settled a few scores ‘off the record’ during the Truce aswell it seems.
You need a couple of meades in the mix.
Dromkeen is very similar to the west cork controversy but has not been analysed or used as a stalking horse. We would be proud enough at home to see the men & women from local families who acted .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBmiEJ2Lx8w
eature=relmfu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33gd6z7ykxA
eature=relmfu
This is better than any play.
Went to see Guerilla Days in Ireland in Kilkenny’s Watergate Theatre.
For me it rated very highly, very good sound and viewing. A little confusing i must admit for those who may not have read the book as the cast of 4 played many roles. But, the leads in both Tom Barry roles were excellent i thought. They mixed raw emotion of years gone bye and memory with that of life like feel very well i thought.
I know Rocko was not that impressed but maybe the Theatre did not match the production as he said, for me i felt the story carried very well over. My partner in crime who has no interest in Irish History from that time was well impressed but did admit to finding the first 15 minutes confusing with the cast playing different roles.
All in all i would highly recommend the production and the actors performances, for those in the Munster area i believe the show makes a stop in The Source in Thurles very soon.
9/10 for me and well worth the €16 fee 
Dublin Theatre Festival has kicked off so hopefully we’ll get some quality traffic to this forum over the next couple of weeks.
I went to Dubliners in the Gaiety tonight.
It was a really excellent production. Read the stories a few years ago and didn’t really remember them but I certainly didn’t remember them being this good. There were 8 or 9 of the stories put on stage and I thought one was very good while the others were truly outstanding. They’re all treated as separate plots etc obviously but there are running motifs through the stories and they are reflected excellently in the characters.
The performance of Mark O’Halloran (of Adam and Paul fame) is superb. His physical comedy acting is flawless and incredibly funny but he is able to do poignancy and understatement as seen in the Dead at the end of the production. As good a performance as I’ve seen in some time.
In fact the entire cast were really excellent throughout. I’m loathe to mention the performance of a TFK member (take a bow son ) for fear it will lead to suggestions that this is a biased review. I’d probably just not have written about it if I felt it was poor. This is top class drama.
I’ve exhausted the superlatives already and haven’t even mentioned the superb set and lighting. The subtle changes to the backdrop add to the atmosphere wonderfully and the minimalist set is just perfect.
It’s only on for 3 nights I think so not sure if tickets are available but if anyone gets an opportunity, go and see this.
Regrettably I’ll have to dock a half mark for the theatre itself. Allowing latecomers to squeeze into their seats a good 5 minutes after the performance began (which was late itself), the fucking music from Sinnott’s being clearly audible during the moving last scenes was ridiculous, and the constant clinking of ice against glass after the interval was disgraceful.
It would have been a 9.5/10 but I’ll revise downwards to a 9.
Dublin Theatre Festival. Picture of Dorian Gray. The Abbey Theatre.
A disturbing tale of a young man’s uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery, The Picture of Dorian Gray was considered proof of both Wilde’s genius and his perversion. His scandalous best-seller of 1891 was one of the most damning pieces of evidence used against him in the trial that brought about his downfall.
Dark stuff. With an excellent central performance by Tom Canton while Jason Britton as Lord Henry Wootton also gave a considered performance though my companion was somewhat shocked by the primal nature of the kiss between the two.
The theatre itself was In fine shape. Why the desire to knock this fine building? We found the bar staff excellent at the interval.
All in all 8.5 out of 10
Jesus Christ Superstar at the O2 last night. The fortieth anniversary Arena tour. Starring Mel C as Mary Magdalene, Tim Minchin (who apparently is some class of a comic) as Judas and a reality tv show winner, Ben Forster as Jesus. Chris Moyles put in a very popular shift as Herod.
Minchin and Chisholm were excellent in their roles, but Forster was limited enough in his role. Overall the songs hold up very well and Lloyd Webber would surely have approved of the musical arrangements.
The show itself is now in a modern setting, with the Disciples forming part of the Occupy Wall Street campaign, the Pharisees were bankers, Herod was a Chris Tarrant like character and in the final scene Christ is in Guantanomo bay. For me that worked very well but it find universal approval with the audience.
I find the 02 very cold and industrial as a venue. It is not a comfortable spot to enjoy a pint and the lack of food inside is baffling. Afterwards the Gibson wouldn’t let anyone in as it was too full so it was a trudge back to town