Galway Advertiser 1993/1993_07_08/GA_08071993_E1_022.pdf 

Extracted text

ITALIAN C O N I C ENNIO

M A R C H E T T O

H E A D S FESTIVAL C O M E D Y
Italian c o m i c genius E n n i o M a r c h e t t o headlines this y e a r ' s A r t s Festival C o m day, July 20th. and the next edy p r o g r a m m e with an e a g e r l y - a n t i c i p a t e d Big T o p show o n T h u r s d a y , July night. Wednesday, don't 15th, at 8 . 3 0 p . m . miss the Irish chippie turn Born in Venice, Mar ed funniest man in chetto has won rave reviews Australia, Jimeoin , at The for his hilarious, whirlwind Comedy Club, especially his pageant of choreographed, rap version of " D a n n y ingenious paper creations, Boy"(?!?!?). embodying with uncanny J o B r a n d , a former a c c u r a c y the likes of psychiatric nurse who Pavarotto, Elton John, Boy describes herself as looking George and the Mona Lisa. "like a jellyfish" will bring It's comedy very much in her dry, sly wit to The Com the tradition of the famous edy Club on Saturday. July Comedia Dell "Arte, with a 17th, when she'll be joined generous dash of inspiration by Jeff Green , star of from Walt Disney. He Granada's Stand-Up series began by creating costumes and winner of the London from paper and plastic for Comedy Store New Act of the colourful Venice Carthe Year Award. nivale. An instant hit, he On the local front you'll progressed from there to be able to catch T h e Com develop more ambitious edy C u m a n n for three characters through a com ENNIO MARCHETTO in the Big Top on Thursday, in Sev'nth Heav'n. nights bination of paper costumes July 15th And of course those mad and comic mimicry - his pletely sold-out stint in Lon Festival on July 15th at The bacon slicers. Flying Pig , first big s u c c e s s was don's West End, a show Arts Centre. will be stunning the world Marilyn Monroe! Other great comic acts with yet another master praised by The Mail on Sun Already a cult figure, he day as "the hottest ticket in this year include Owen piece, " T h e Playboy of the has played clubs and t o w n " . O'Neill and Barry Murphy European Community". cabarets across Europe with Supporting Ennio Mar , who will perform at The For further details see a highly developed show of chetto will be T h e Classic Comedy Club at The Junc this week's Galway Arts riving paper cartoons, and Buskers who will also per tion. Forster St, on Tues Festival supplement. fte's just finished a com- form fir thp Children's

A Drink at Kenny's!
What could be more ap propriate as an exhibition theme than the stuff that liberally flows throughout the Arts Festival - drink! And that's what you'll find if you stop in to The Kenny Gallery any time after next Monday. A number of artists have spent a long time thinking about drink and have pro duced a remarkable collec tion of works which are at the same time art and enter tainment. You've got pints and pint drinkers, waiters and publicans, beer cans and Bacchus - " D r i n k and Drinkers" is an exhibition for anyone who takes a drink - or even for those who don't! It'll be opened by the inimitable Maguire and McBride who've been known on occasion to take a drink themselves.

E x h i b i t i o n o f B a t i k s at West Shore Gallery
An exhibition of batiks by Waterford-born artist Mary Lee Murphy opens at the West Shore Gallery, Oughterard, on Sunday, July 11th, at 3.30 p.m. and will be opened by die artist Pat Murphy. Mary Lee Murphy is one of Ireland's leading Batik Artists. She paints through the medium of batik on linen, silk and cotton. Mary left her S.R.N, job to pursue a Fine Art and Design course at Sligo Art School. She then taught for eight years with Sligo V . E . C . , but eventually decided she wanted to devote all her time to the development of her work in batik. Her landscape work has been exhibited throughout Ireland and abroad and is included in many public and private collections. Her last major commission was for Mullinger County Buildings and depicts the Children of Lir from Irish mythology. Mary has been living and working in Connemara since last October and some of her work in this exhibition gives us her impression of this unique landscape, along with an insight into the Sligo area, with its beautiful bogs and trees, where she lived for many years.

Cope G i g Cancelled
After a sell-out concert in Belfast last week, singer Julian Cope has come down with a severe throat inflam mation and has been forced to cancel the remaining dates of his "Irish Castles" tour of Ireland. Those who have already bought tickets for Cope's Cloonacauneen Cas tle date are advised that the concert has been re scheduled for September - details nearer the date - and that tickets will be valid for this re-scheduled gig.

T A' HT S
focused on the railway workers as they went about their regular routine of ensuring that the trains were in tip-top condition. The scene, however, that really gripped me con cerned two young women who encounter an older woman who tells them of an incident from her youth when she had fallen in love with a member of an acting company - one of the many that used to tour round the country earlier this century. Michelle Fennessy played the part of the old woman, while Jenni McKinley took the role of her younger self. It was a simple story of lost dreams and missed chances and despite the fact that the part of the young actor was read by Rebecca Bartlett - the cast member taking the part was ill -1 found it incredibly moving. The transition from the present to the past and back again was handled with delicacy and a sure touch. " I r o n H o r s e B l u e s " , which o p e n s in N u n ' s Island A r t s C e n t r e on July 1 4 t h , includes in t h e c a s t P e a d a r d e B u r c a , Philip S w e e n e y , Michael Lydon, R u t h S t a u n t o n , Noeline K a v a n a g h , Paul D'Arcy, T h o m a s B a r t l e t t , J u d i t h Higgins, Maria Fleming, G a r r y H y n e s , Sile Nic C h o n a o n a i g h , Philip Flynn, Sonia Brodie, M a u r a Tierney, J e n n i e McKinley, D e i r d r e K a v a n a g h , Ann Moloney, Michelle F e n n e s s y , S a r a h Corr a n d Katie Kent.

THE

* I N T E R V I E W

I

"Watching David direct the GYT company in "Goodnight Letterfrack" really turned me on to directing. He made it seem so easy and so natural to move around large numbers of people on stage, while keeping the pace moving all the time. It was a dream to work with him, and I think I picked up a lot of ideas from h i m . " "Poitin Rock", a bi-lingual mixture of com edy, dance and music, is set in a pub in rural Con nemara. But all hell breaks loose when a local Rock band with the spiendid name of the Vibrating Chickens organise a benefit gig for a friend of theirs. Assisting Peadar in the director's seat is Judith Higgins, a former member of Galway Youth Theatre who's currently studying drama at Trini ty College in Dublin. "Judith and I go back a long way. In fact she was also in that Taibhdhearc pro duction of "Peter P a n " where 1 made my acting debut! She's been such a big help. I can't thank her e n o u g h . " "Poitin Rock", which runs from July 15th to the 24th at 4.00 p.m. at An Taibhdhearc (excluding Friday July 16th & 23rd, and Sun day the 18th) is directed by Peadar de Burca and Judith Higgins, with stage design by Stephen Campbell. The cast includes: Diarmuid O Conghaile, Stephen Fottrell, Sean Cof fey, Michael Rushe, Ciara McMullin, Conor Doyle, Daithai Mac Cumnaill, Catriona ni Ceannt, Avril Conroy, and Eve Farrell. Costumes and Props are being looked after by Aoife Kelly, and Stage Manager is Orla Duggan.

PEADAR de BURCA
IT'S N O GREAT DISTANCE from Nun's Island Arts Centre to Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe on Middle Street, but for Peadar de Burca it marks the difference between taking part in a play and directing one you've written yourself. "Poitin Rock" is the name of the play, and it's being put on by members of Aisteoiri Oga - the youth drama group attached to An Taibhdhearc. Although it ended up that way, Peadar certain ly didn't stan out with the idea of writing a play. In fact, he'd never even attempted to write a play before. ' 'Sean O Murchu (former Taibhdhearc ad ministrator) was originally supposed to write it but he tounU he just didn't have the time. So, in desperation, and while I was studying for my exjms. I wrote down the basic ideas and slowly, over a perkid of about three weeks, it staned to come together." Writing it was one thing. Actually getting it produced was another. " I had to show it to Eileen Joyce, who's looking after things for Trevor O Clochartaigh who's on a three-month course, and when she gave it the nod of approval it was "all stations g o " ! " Gathering a cast and crew was not difficult. Five years ago Peadar was one of a group of young ac tors and actresses who put on Irish plays for the Summer colleges in Connemara. Out of that ex perience came what was to become Aisteoiri Oga. which functioned under the benevolent eye of Sean O Murchu. Peadar feels strongly that the Aisteoiri Oga members are an extremely talented bunch. " T h e y ' r e mostly unknown, because they haven't taken part in any really major productions yet. But I'm so impressed with all the tremendous talents I'm priviliged to work with on this p l a y . " rcotiai dc Duiid, ... i iiiaii> fiom Mondgilau, has lived for most of his life in Galway and is cur rently in his second year studying Law at U.C.G.. His interest in drama was awakened, like many a one before him, through taking part in a pantomime. " I was going to the " J e z " and Bernie O'Connell asked me if I'd take part in the Taibhdhearc's production of "Peter Pan". That was the first time I ever acted in anything and 1 was immediately hooked." Peadar auditioned for a place in the first intake of students for Galway Youth Theatre, and he's been with them ever since. He has enormous respect for what Rebecca Bartlett and Molly Forgarty have accomplished with GYT, but when it came to directing his own first play, it was the impression made on him by David Grant that seems to have been crucial.
t

THEATRE IS THRIVING in Galway, with new drama companies springing up all the time, to join the already large number that have established themselves with audiences over the last few years. It is surely an indication of just how lively the scene is that we now have two youth companies - Galway Youth Theatre and Aisteoiri Oga - taking part in this year's Galway Arts Festival. I know it's hard to catch everything during such a wonderfully eclectic Festival, but anyone in terested in theatre and its future in Galway really ought to make it their business to see GYT's "Iron Horse Blues" and Aisteoiri Oga's "Poitin Rock". I know I'm going to.