ALL EYES ON ATHLONE THIS WEEKEND

The Dean Crowe Theatre in Athlone has been the focus of attention since last Friday night when the All-Ireland open amateur drama finals got under way and as this weekend looms, one can feel the tension building.

To date it would appear that the festival is wide open with no clear favourite emerging and this writer, having being with the pace up until Monday night would be inclined to think that the winning show will come from one of the final five performances.

Kilmeen opened on Saturday night with Jimmy Murphy’s ‘Kings Of The Kilburn High Road’, coming in as strong contenders with five wins. The feeling here was that this may not have been their best performance to date but received a rapturous ovation from the capacity audience.

Next up was Estuary Players from Dublin with ‘The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot’ - a futuristic style piece loaded with some well known characters and heaped high with comedy. A big undertaking that, for me, had its problems with lighting and pace - but adjudicator, Scott Marshall seemed to really like it.

Sunday brought us Brian Friel’s ‘Faith Healer’. presented by Bradan Players (Leixlip) and, judging by audience reaction alone (with quite a few leaving at half-time), the full force of this piece was not realised.

Monday night’s offering was a four-hander from the pen of Sam Sheppard. ‘True West’ from Bangor Drama Club saw some good acting up until the ‘drunk’ scene in act two which, in the case of Austin, dropped considerably.

Overall though, a good entertaining piece of drama.

Tuesday night brought Silken Thomas Players back to Athlone, this time with ‘Equus’ by Peter Shaffer and anyone this writer spoke to, expected quite an improved performance from Sean Judge and his cast.

Wednesday night brought ‘The Great Hunger’ by Tom McIntyre from Balally Players from the Dun Laoghaire area of Co Dublin. This play is adapted from the Patrick Kavanagh poem of the same name - an hilarious, yet tragic piece. Bunclody/Kilmyshall stages ‘The Wake’ by Tom Murphy - another play with five wins to its credit and it will be interesting to see how this strong piece will be accepted by the Athlone audience.

Perhaps one of the most talked-about plays in the final is Shoestring’s one-hander, ‘A Night In November’ by Marie Jones. Most talked-about, mainly because the general impression was that one-person plays were not allowed but - oh yes, they are!

This play has been greeted with standing ovations at nearly all of the festivals where it played - understandable in once sense considering the mammoth one hour and forty minutes performance from William Lyons.

But, standing ovations are not secured easily and this play is one that is expected to at least be in the frame come Saturday night. We wish the Charleville group every success.

The final play will come from Theatre 3 from Newtownabbey and it is Neil Simon’s hilarious ‘Plaza Suite’.

GUITAR WIZARD, THOMAS LEEB IN KILWORTH

Commentators tell us that guitar tunes from Austrian born Thomas Leeb are punctuated by slaps, pops and beats and that ‘the resulting blur of busy hands and fingers has to be seen to be believed’.

Eric Roche who was his guitar teacher said: “I was his teacher for about five minutes and then I heard him play.”

Another well known authority on guitar music, Guthrie Govan says: “What Thomas Leeb does on an acoustic guitar probably shouldn’t be legal.”

Leeb plays Kilworth on Monday night, May 11. Tickets for this concert which was scheduled in somewhat of a rush are just €15.

You can book through John Nyhan (087-7921771), any Arts Centre outlet (025-32227) or on 087-6492514.

LISMORE DRAMATIC SOCIETY DRAW THE CROWDS

Packed houses over five nights, wonderful audiences and a cast that showed all the practice was worthwhile.

It was a wonderful show which featured many teenagers who never stood on a stage before but will certainly do it again.

Aislinn Celisse Morrissey thanked all her cast on Monday night and said she was so proud of their achievement.

The chairman, Edward Lynch thanked all who had made the musical possible - the cast, the helpers backstage and front of house and especially Aislinn, Maria and Vanessa Celisse for their hardwork.

Also thanks to our sponsors and of course our patrons.

CLANCY BROS TRIBUTE

Dan O’Sullivan and Pat Kelleher return to the Kilworth stage with their own personal tribute to The Clancy Bros & Tommy Makem on Thursday night, May 14.

Special guest on the night is Maggie McCarthy - a gifted young multi instrumentalist and dancer from Dripsey in Co Cork. This young lady has played all over the world and is a truly outstanding performer.

This is a superb combination, sure to give a great evening’s entertainment. Tickets now on sale (€15/12.50) for 025-32227 or 087-6492514.

LOCAL ‘ANNIE’ STAR JOINS MARY HEGARTY AND FRIENDS FOR ST COLMANS’ CONCERT

News that young Claire O’Leary from Rathcormac is to be part of the Mary Hegarty & Friends concert on this Friday night in St Colmans as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations is an added extra for the event.

Claire just recently clinched the part of alternate Annie in the musical of the same name to be staged at The Olympia, Dublin and the Opera House, Cork later this year - no small feat considering 1,100 young hopefuls auditioned for the part.

Featuring a varied mix of light opera, classical and popular favourites, Friday night’s concert will also include as Mary Hearty’s guests, past pupil, Eric Nolan from Mitchelstown (tenor), Cork-born Joe Corbett, baritone and the highly regarded locally-based Orpheus Choir under the baton of Hilary Reynolds.

The accompanist for the evening will be Eleanor Malone of Cork School of Music and the event is being promoted by well-known impresario Oliver Barry, a past pupil of St Colmans.

Friday night’s concert (for which there are still some tickets available) will be rather special for Eric Nolan also as it will be his first time performing at home in Ireland since commencing his studies in London.

Mary Hegarty - whose father Paddy taught music in St Colmans during the 1950s and 60s and who was the organist in the parish church for many years, has built up a huge international reputation as a soprano of the highest class.

Mary made her debut in 1989 at the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden and since has been seen regularly on the stages of English National Opera, Opera North, City of Birmingham Touring Opera, Opera Factory, New Sussex Opera, Opera Northern Ireland and at the Buxton Festival.

Her artistic versatility is illustrated by her recent performances which include Dee O’Hara in Jonathan Dove’s new TV opera ‘Buzz on the Moon’, Gilda in Woody Allen’s movie ‘Matchpoint’, Gretel in ‘Hansel and Gretel’ with Reisopera, title role ‘The Merry Widow’ in Cork, Dorinda Orlando with Opera Theatre Company in Dublin.

Her additional countless concert appearances include Carmina Burana throughout Italy and in Ljubjana, Schoenberg 2nd String Quartet with RTE Vanbrugh Quartet, a gala concert with the Fleischmann Choir and Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Irish Youth Choir and The New Jersey Youth Symphony Orchestra and two recitals at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, one of Barber, Bernstein and Corigliano and one with Cuarteto Casals of Berg’s Lyric Suite.

Joe Corbett, who hails from the northside of Cork city has dueted regularly with Mary Hegarty.

The Orpheus Choir, a regional unaffiliated mixed vocal ensemble founded in 2005, performs and promotes secular choral music of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

The choir, under the energetic musical direction of Hilary Reynolds, also has a wide repertoire of well-known pieces such as The Chorus of Hebrew Slaves’ from Verdi’s Nabucco, Stephen Foster’s Home Sweet Home, and that well-known local favourite, ‘My Home In Fermoy’.

Eleanor Malone is currently a lecturer in the Piano Department at the Cork School of Music. She also a performer of distinction, concentrating mainly on ensemble and accompaniment.

Tickets: €25 (special discount rates of €15 apply for local primary and secondary pupils) available from The Book Shop at 2 Pearse Sq, Fermoy (Tel: 025-31599) or St Colman’s College, Fermoy (025-31622).

COMING UP IN KILWORTH

As already documented on this page, the next gig at The Village Arts Centre in Kilworth is with acoustic guitarist, Thomas Leeb on Monday night, May 11, followed on Thursday 14th with a tribute to the Clancy Bros & Tommy Makem by Dan O’Sullivan and Pat Kelleher with special guest, Maggie McCarthy.

Then on Thursday 21st, a one woman show that has been receiving the highest of praise has been secured for just one performance. It features Croatian actress Ines Wurth who tells her own story in ‘I Miss Communism’.

From Croatia to America and back, her story is about three generations of women who lived through three wars in a drama with intense comic moments that won’t leave you untouched. It’s what Ines Wurth was raised in, it’s what she came to America to escape from, and it’s what she ran back to.

The show won the award ‘Best of the Best of Edinburgh Festival’ as the best touring show of 2006 in the UK, leading to another tour from April to October 2007 in Europe including the run at the Hackney Empire in London for a month.

Now you can see it in Kilworth on Thursday, May 21 - a definite date for your diary!

Bringing the month of May to a close will be the second concert in North Cork Classical Music’s programme for 2009 when Spanish guitarist, Agustin Maruri pays a return visit on Saturday, May 30. Maruri, from Madrid, has given concerts in the five continents and has performed in some of the great music halls all over the world.

He represented Spain in Athens during the concert celebrated by Greek Radio Television in 1989 for the EU Greek presidency and in 1997 performed for RTE in Dublin.

Among the composer who have written for him are, Francesco Telli, Pedro Saenz, Jose Maria Sanchez Verdu, Josep Pascual, Erik Marchelie, Manuel Seco, Zhangbing, Paul Coles, etc. Maruri has premiered many guitar works including Torroba’s ‘Interludios’, Francesco Telli’s ‘Serenata’ etc.

Tickets are now on sale at €15 each from Jane Annesley on 022-26145, Liam Howard (025-24858), The Avondhu office, Fermoy (025-32227), Cotter’s Bar, Kilworth (27109), Hyland’s Bookshop (24528) and from 087-6492514.

PAUL BRADY AT THE EVERYMAN

Paul Brady has spent his career crossing borders of style while holding fast to substance, developing a wide array of tunes that smartly traverse folk and rock over a span of more than 40 years.

Paul returns to the intimate surrounds of the Everyman Palace Theatre after a sell out performance in 2006. 7.30pm, tickets €30, booking: 021-4501673 or online at www.everymanpalace.com