FOLIO | KISS ME, KATE AT THE LYRIC THEATRE

‘Kiss me, Kate’ is a complex play-within-a-play, which shows a Baltimore based cast of players preparing for their production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.

In the opening scene of this Lyric Theatre-NI Opera joint production, we catch a glimpse into actor/producer Fred Graham (Norman Bowman)’s dressing room and right from the get-go we witness the faces of Trump, Epstein, Johnson and Farage - director Walter Sutcliffe is making a statement. He understands this play and all its misogyny and is diving right in at deep end; there will be no short-cuts or bowing out here.

And rightly so. The aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein scandals and the #TimesUp//#MeToo movements highlight a welcome change in showbusiness – and elsewhere - as women (and some men) are refusing to accept the entitled and misogynistic behaviour that seems to go hand-in-hand when some individuals attain power or notoriety. For too long, men in positions of power, fuelled by their own ego and sense of self-importance, were able to behave badly - sometimes illegally - with little consequence, and often describing those who call them out as being ‘over-dramatic’, ‘liars’, or even worse, ‘asking for it’.

Back to the play though… Lilli Vanessi (Melle Stewart) is Fred’s wife/ex-wife. Although confident, you can sense the undercurrent of damage and hurt that has been caused by her previous relationship - from which she bears many scars, something that so many in the audience will relate to.

Fred and Lilli Vanessi argue passionately, but as chaos brews off stage, ‘the show must go on’! As they morph into their Shakespearean alter egos Petruchio and Katharine, their performance is breath-taking. Their on-stage chemistry – fuelled by some real-life upsets - allows them to work together as if no other match would work. And Stewart and Bowman maintain their energetic performance right through the two-hour performance as brilliant characters of both Shakespeare and Spewack alike; the tangible connection between their characters is obvious.

Slap bang in the middle of their relationship is Jayne Wisener, who plays Lois Lane, a beautiful, fame-hungry wannabe actress who adopts flirtation and uses her good looks as a means to progress her career. However, whatever her motives and her method, there is definitely the distinct impression that Fred is grooming her, Weinstein-style – and this is culturally significant in the context of an on-going conversation that will only get louder.

She is both captivating and striking on stage. I hadn’t seen her since her much less serious but still brilliant role as Cinderella at the Opera House with Gareth Gates in 2016 (their on-stage chemistry was fabulous) and it was refreshing to feel her presence again. Add her looks and her brilliant ability to carry a note with character, to her lovely personality off stage and you will see how - and why - I have a bit of a girl crush on her.

There was brilliant comedy from the mafioso duo Marty Maguire and Darren Franklin, two debt-collecting mobsters.  Their rendition of ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ was fantastic and had me in stiches. You know one of those songs that you wish you knew the lyrics to, so you could belt it out at parties? Yup, that. I loved Marty in Bouncers at the MAC last year, but I think I love him even more here. Would he be insulted if I said he plays a ‘hood’ very well? I hope not!

The trio of fairy-angels were fab too. Their (excellent) singing and sexy gyrating at all the right moments only compounded Graham’s misbehaviour for us in the audience - and that is, or was, I suppose, the whole point of them. Nice tinsel wings too. ;-)

A final nod to Matthew Cavan and Richard Croxford who are also outstanding. Cavan’s performance of ‘Too Darn Hot’ before the interval definitely left a few of audience members near me feeling a little too darn hot themselves!

All in all, the play is fast-moving and furious, carried along with Conor Mitchell’s stunning 12-piece orchestra. This is a story that is testament to the golden age of theatre in all its showbiz glory. Or gory - if you look at the ugly side of things backstage/onstage. Although more musical theatre than opera, there is no denying the quality of the singing with the NI Opera injection makes it better than what you would normally expect in musical theatre, in fact it’s simply breath-taking. Jennifer Rooney’s choreography is visual and impressive.

In short, the whole production was simply brilliant. Through the comedy, the story superbly challenged age-old behaviour and there is no doubt audience members will leave the theatre feeling empowered and ready to open discussions and ask questions. Because even though we are (still) not without prejudice in today’s world (far from it, in fact), the people behind ‘Kiss Me, Kate’, still knew plenty about the compromises of marriage and shitty behaviour.

Cole Porter, the name behind the 1948 musical’s songs, lived ‘happily’ married to the socialite Linda Lee Thomas even though he was gay; (again, a timely point given last week’s public coming out/forcing out). Playwright Bella Spewack was pressured to share credit with Samuel Specwack, her estranged husband, at the time, even though she did most of the work.

I look forward to a time when people can just be themselves and be kind, but  the themes throughout the play are a sad reminder of how abhorrent behaviour is not a new thing; indeed, when this play first released in 1948, this kind of treatment was the norm - and remained very rarely challenged until recently. Let’s hope the performance helps at least one person to stand up to bad behaviour, to break silence, to show resilience, and to empower themselves to challenge and change behaviour. I for one don’t think it could be any more relevant today.

Kiss me, Kate continues in the Lyric Theatre until Saturday 22 February. You can buy tickets here: https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/event/kiss-me-kate/

FOLIO | THE FROZEN PRINCESS AT THE WATERFRONT

GBL Production’s Frozen Princess is Belfast’s version of the age-old Snow Queen fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen with a heavy sprinkling of the Disney Frozen franchise interpretation of the same story thrown in for very good measure.

The sea of blue Elsas (and a few Ana’s) around me suggested that there were quite a few Frozen fans in the audience and there was an overwhelming sense of excitement as little ones eagerly waited to see the show unfold on stage.

The curtain opened from the stage’s regal purple lighting to reveal a glittering silver palace where we met Emily and Anna Snow (Catriona McFeely and Eimear Barr), two sisters who are inseparable until a thunderous storm crashes down, shattering a mirror from which a shard lodges into Emily’s heart, cursing her. Transformed into an evil Frozen Princess, she is determined to destroy Anna’s upcoming wedding to Prince Freddie Foundered (Gavin Peden).

Like most fairy tales and their pantomime interpretations, it is a story loaded with adventure, friendship and stacks of bravery.

Tom Rowntree-Finlay and Thomas McCorry created a hilarious script. And I mean sore-tummy kinda funny, with LOADS of local quips. Valentina and her friends are still talking about it and if it keeps three 8 year olds entertained days later, it must be good! Older members of the crowd will enjoy the grown up jokes on a whole other level of comedy that fly over the heads of the little ones, thankfully!

The cast delivered the script brilliantly. Marty Maguire’s Dame character - Nanny Amanda Marry-Weather - was the star of the show for me and had us all in stiches as she tried desperately to find her own Mr Right, whilst simultaneously trying to juggle Anna’s growing list of wedding demands! She totally captivated the audience with a dazzling and hilarious performance.

Of course every Christmas panto needs some comic characters and these came in the form of Fairy Sunshine (Nicky Harley) with her rhyming ways and longing to make everything right again, and sweet Mr Frostie (Jo Donnelly) whom I think we all wanted to take home sweet home with us! There was also a surprise visit from Rudolph!

Panto regular Gavin Peden made a dashing (and puerile) prince while Barr’s Anna was tall, confident and ready to go to any lengths in her quest to save her fiancé. The pair’s duet before the interval was a real highpoint in the show.

Director Chris Robinson knows what makes a great panto and this is no exception with lots of quick changes and audience participation, plus the usual runaround the auditorium, in a Benny Hill style chase, with water pistols (so watch your blow dries mummies!)  which the kids loved.

Special mention to Katie Richardson’s score which we all sang and danced along to. It was the perfect accompaniment and hit all the right notes – literally! The lyrical changes were brilliant and the closing performance of ‘We’ve Got Each Other Back for Good’ shows off Anika Graham’s talented choreography to perfection.

This is the perfect, light-hearted, family entertainment which is a whole lot of local fun.  

The Frozen Princess by GBL Productions runs January

FOLIO | A CHRISTMAS CAROL AT THE MAC

Lynne O’Neill (of critically-acclaimed Derry Girls fame) is responsible for the script of the new festive show at The MAC, and as a big fan of Derry Girls I couldn’t wait to see how she would tell the classic Dickens’ tale of A Christmas Carol and what surprises might unfold…

The curtain opens to reveal an old theatre, dating back to the 1900’s. Diana Ennis transports us into a Dickenson era with her set, while Paul Keogan’s rainbow-coloured lighting creates an illusion of wonder in which the story unfolds.

Backstage, the tale of delicate Tiny Tim and his browbeaten parents unfolds at the Marley and Scrooge Theatre where long-suffering Bobbie Cratchit (Molly Logan) tries to balance the books and Ebenezer Scrooge (Richard Croxford) rules with a tough iron fist, ignoring all those around him (including deceased old staff members who linger in the old, worn-out theatre) - a chorus of ghosts, if you will. 

Telling a classic tale that is a firm Christmas favourite and loved by so many isn’t always an easy feat, but director Sean Kearns reworks it in such a clever way ensuring that original fans will love it while simultaneously appealing to a brand new younger audience.

Kearns uses the talented seven actors to tell the beloved classic tale beautifully, they jump between roles effortlessly with each having an important role in moving the story along. Even though I have read the book & watched the film SO many times, the twists and turns gave it a brand new perspective and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next!

Croxford makes an excellent grumpy Mr. Scrooge. His powerful tyrannical character captures the narrative which he makes his own and has us jumping and shouting in equal measure! The nostalgic flashback to happier childhood memories was especially poignant.
Gareth McConaghie’s lively score is the perfect accompaniment to his journey – especially during the ghostly figures’ visits, which were some of my favourite parts of the play (the cabaret was fab!).
Their elbowing and shoving to grab the spotlight, paired with their witty remarks made for some LOL moments for the grownups and just the right amount of slapstick for the kids. 

Croxford’s Scrooge was nicer than usual and as the audience you couldn’t help but root for him to change his ways. This was a great idea and especially appealing to younger audiences who don’t want to be too scared or sad!

In short, expect lots of tunes that will have you singing and bopping along to, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in between. The shorter running time of 1hr 40 mins (including the interval) means it is perfect for the whole family and a great festive treat.

A Christmas Carol runs at The MAC until the 5th January and all the details and tickets can be found here.

FOLIO | PETER PAN AT THE LYRIC THEATRE

Paul Boyd returns to the Lyric Theatre this Christmas with an exciting new musical of Peter Pan, adapted from the play by JM Barrie. I totally loved his Alice in Wonderland last Christmas, so I couldn’t wait to go on this latest adventure to Neverland; and I wasn’t disappointed!

Boyd stays with the narrative of JM Barrie’s classic story and retells it beautifully. It isn’t always easy to retell a vintage tale in a modern way, but Boyd does it with ease, keeping both older and younger viewers entertained and on the edge of their seats. Expect to be taken on an exciting adventure full of action with lots of ‘ahh’ moments and laughs in between!

The story synopsis is age-old. Neverland is in crisis. Pirates have arrived on the island and the Neverlanders are trying to keep them away. Miles away, in a pretty, cosy nursery in London, Wendy Darling (played excellently by Rhiannon Chesterman) is reading the exciting tales of this fairytale land to her younger brothers Michael (Rea Campbell-Hill) and John (Christopher Finn). Just as they arrive at the concluding chapter, they realise it is missing, before an unannounced visitor at the window grabs their attention.  The visitor is bad-boy Peter Pan from their story book, the boy who never grows up. He whisks them off on a perilous voyage, an adventure that is, in fact, living out the missing final chapter. Michael Mahony’s Pan perfectly captures the essence of a lost boy yearning to be saved, a touching theme that Mahony seizes perfectly.

And while Peter Pan may be naughtily bad, he’s nothing compared to Captain Hook, played brilliantly by Allison Hardin as an exotic and menacing Captain Jess Hook.  Valentina loved that Captain Hook was a female – a sign of the times perhaps, although I believe that this was, in fact, in keeping with Barrie’s early intentions considering the story suggests she may be the fairytale version of the Darlings’ not-so-nice nanny!  

The play uses a group of local children for the Lost Boys and native people and they put on an excellent performance alongside the professional cast. Every single member of the cast shone in their performance and I couldn’t name a single fault! I especially loved the mermaids who put on an amazingly camp operatic performance – such a great treat!

Special mention to Stuart Marshall for the amazing set as well as Conleth White for the lighting, Paul Boyd himself for the music and Gillian Lennox and Erin Charteris for the costume.  All elements weaved effortlessly together, creating moments of suspense whilst moving the story along.

This is a wonderful play for all the family, and it gets a big thumbs up from V and I.

Peter Pan runs at Lyric Theatre Belfast from 29 Nov - 4 Jan.  Tickets are now available, starting from £12 at www.lyrictheatre.co.uk or 028 9038 1081

FOLIO | BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AT GOH BELFAST

It is only 5th December and already I have seen this year’s Grand Opera House panto twice, so I think it’s fair to say I’m a panto addict.  But to be honest, the Grand Opera House panto really is THAT good. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite shows of the year and a fond annual tradition Valentina and I have had since she was one!

Classic tale, Beauty and the Beast, is this year’s story and it is extra special because queen of pantomime, May McFettridge (comedian John Linehan) is celebrating her 30th anniversary treading the boards at Belfast’s Grand Opera House. She has been joined on the Grand Opera House panto stage by many greats in her time – from Britt Ekland to Gareth Gates and many in between, but this year sees Ben Richards (Footballers’ Wives, Holby City, Hollyoaks) take the role of the Beast as well at Britain’s Got Talent favourite Mandy Muden as Magic Mandy.

The tale tells the story of the beautiful Belle who, dreaming of a happier life, finds herself transported to a cursed castle and held captive by a hideous Beast (Richards) who was transformed from a handsome but selfish prince after turning away an enchantress dressed as a beggar years previously.   The selfish and now brutally ugly prince lives in fear that he will remain a beast forever, until the kind-hearted Belle enters his castle and in time makes him feel human again.  

We all know how the tale turns out, but the question is, how the GOH team will tell the story of whether Belle sees beyond the monster and falls in love with her captor before the last petal falls from the enchantress’s rose? Or will the Beast’s selfishness cost him the world he once knew and the hand of the girl who has melted his heart?

Qdos Entertainment stages the show and, being the world’s largest pantomime producer, you can imagine the spectacular quality of the set – mesmerising for both little ones & adults alike with some stunning special effects and fantastic quality costumes. As a fashionista, I truly believe that on stage you have to go big or go home, and the costumes in Grand Opera House never disappoint. They don’t try to be cool and modern and go all muted with modern interpretations - quite the contrary! - because there is an abundance of colour and dazzle to match the fun songs and hilarious (sometimes hideously funny) script, with camped up dance routines that you just can’t help but bop along too. And that’s just how a Panto should be, in my opinion.

With a huge cast of 30, the show creates a fabulously interactive atmosphere with little ones delighted to shout and boo whilst the older ones enjoy a lively sing-a-long (and lots of naughty jokes that fly over the heads of the younger viewers, but provide endless laughs for the adults!)

My favourite cast member this year is the beastie of the story – but he’s not actually The Beast and he’s not a traditional vile-looking villain, in fact he is gorgeous (but beastly in his misogyny and vanity).  It was Flash Harry, (the Gaston character in the Disney versions of the story), who is played excellently by Danny Bayne. He fits his role perfectly and I loved his own number – which was a version of Jim Croce’s 1973 hit Leroy Brown. Actually, speaking of cast ‘numbers’, I also loved May’s ‘Legend’ tribute which (I think) was a version of Flash, Bang Wallop from Half a Sixpence. Brilliant!

Like any good panto, the narrative of the tale is sprinkled with lots of funny moments in between. Or perhaps you could say the tale is told between lots of funny moments – some of which make you ask yourself, ‘was that meant to happen?’; but whichever way you look at it, there is exactly the right mix of light-hearted entertainment that families of all ages will enjoy.

I’m delighted to say that after 6 years visiting the panto, Valentina finally had a ‘penny drop’ moment this year and just ‘got’ May. I mean, she’d laughed at her before and knew May was a he, who looks ridiculously funny in her costumes (this year’s Mrs Incredible is THE BUSINESS!) but she really understands now that May is integral to the Panto, that she holds it all together and is responsible for all, or most, of the comedy in it. Her favourite bit was the Twelve days of Christmas, and she now understands that that’s a regular thing, which is so very funny because of its unexpectedness. Of course now she is hailing out ‘FIIIIIIVE TOILET ROOOOOOLLLLS!’ non-stop and is dying to meet May, but that day will come, I hope.

Will you love it? Oh yes you will!

Beauty and the Beast runs from Saturday 30 November 2019 to Sunday 12 January 2020. Limited tickets available. Next year’s show – Goldilocks and the Three Bears - is already on sale with over 30% of tickets sold already! For ticket information, visit goh.co.uk

FOLIO | DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS AT THE LYRIC

Driving home for Christmas tells the story of a group of people who end up snowed in on Christmas Eve. Their refuge is the Dander Inn - not quite the cosy pub in the country you might first imagine, but instead a run down establishment owned by ageing (and slightly creepy) twins Pat & Paddy, who offer a less than warm welcome to the hapless visitors.

The stranded travellers make an unlikely group; there is smart, middle-aged Alison, who supplies Catholic religion goods for a living, a BT9er and his fiancée who are going to spend Christmas with her culchie family, as well as the male members of an Abba tribute band who all stumble upon the shabby shack deep in the Sperrin mountains in look of shelter.

Comic duo and writers Conor Grimes and Alan McKee play the oddball brother and sister (as well as musician Frank) and switch between the characters seamlessly, whilst Frankie McCafferty returns as director and keeps the plot running smoothly.

Gary Crossan puts on an energetic performance as pompous Rudy and as we listen to him drone on about his own self-importance, we can’t help but wonder why his long-suffering fiancée Ciara, played by Ruby Campbell, has agreed to marry him. Campbell’s performance as the lovely nurse Ciara is excellent and her solo performance in the second half was a definite highlight of mine.

Ali White plays Alison who tells the group the sorrowful tale of her husband struggling with Christmas preparations back at home. I would have loved for her character to be a little more developed as I found her rather basic (the wife away whilst her husband yearns for her at home in order to help with Christmas preparations seems a little dated to me personally), especially when played by an actress as talented as Ali White.

I did love watching rough and ready Frank from the tribute act, played by Alan Mckee (who excels in his dual role) as well as his fellow musician who speaks little preferring to quietly slip into the corner and play a piano.

The Bullseye sketch was one of my favourites and a great opportunity to show off just how talented the cast really are. Stuart Marshall’s creative set gives some subtle clues to the dark twist ahead and the bacon fries on offer are a nice nod to Belfast.

Fans of the Godfather will love the clever reference in one particular scene; in fact there are a few classic film & TV references as well as some great musical numbers with clever lyrical changes.

The incongruous characters and witty script were great but I couldn’t help but think it could have been taken a little further. My laughs seemed fewer than previous years and some scenes left me slightly cringing rather than laughing but as the laughs roared around me, it is fair to say not everyone felt this way. Perhaps the standard of Grimes and McKee’s ‘Nativity… What the Donkey Saw’ made my expectations a little too high but I just couldn’t help but leave feeling a little underwhelmed. However friends of mine went to the see the play and raved about it – so it is definitely worth checking out.

FILM | IRISH TALENT NAMED IN BAFTA’S BREAKTHROUGH BRITS OF 2019

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the 2019’s BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Netflix. Twenty of the UK’s most promising future stars of film, games and television have been revealed and among them is Irish actor Niamh Algar.

Niamh, 29, grew up in County Westmeath in Ireland and now lives in South London. As a child, Niamh loved using her creative eye to entertain her family with short films she would make on her mum’s old VHS camera so a career in the arts seemed inevitable. Like so many people, it was through sleepovers with friends at an early age that Niamh discovered a world of heavy, female-centric dramas which had a profound impact on her, such as Woman Under the Influence , Girl Interrupted and Monster .

She landed her first leading role in the Independent feature film Without Name which was particularly exciting as she was a fan of director Lorcan Finnegan’s previous work. In fact, Niamh has been lucky enough to have already worked with many of her directing heroes, including Shane Meadows on The Virtues and now Ridley Scott, who has cast her in his sci-fi fantasy, Raised by Wolves , which has pushed Niamh like never before.

BAFTA Breakthrough is BAFTA’s flagship new talent scheme that showcases and supports the next generation of creative talent in film, games and television in the UK.
Honourees receive one-to-one mentoring and career guidance, as well as access to BAFTA events and networking opportunities in the UK and internationally – something Niamh is extremely thankful for.

 Niamh says “I am incredibly grateful that I’m a Breakthrough Brit, I’ve followed the careers of previous honourees and they’re so immensely talented! To be recognised by BAFTA feels like I’m on the right path with my career. It’s a lovely honour and I’m very excited for the opportunity to be mentored.”

 BAFTA and Netflix share a joint vision of celebrating emerging British talent and giving them the tools to develop their skills at the start of their careers. Building on the success of ‘Breakthrough Brits’, the partnership with Netflix will help facilitate expansion of the ‘Breakthrough’ initiative globally, working to identify overseas talent in new territories such as India and the USA.

Since its launch in 2013, BAFTA Breakthrough Brits has championed over 100 talented newcomers, including actors Florence Pugh , Josh O’Connor , Malachi Kirby , Ray Panthaki and Molly Windsor , composer Segun Akinola , game producer Dan Gray , and directors Destiny Ekaragha and Michael Pearce .

 Previous Breakthrough Brits have gone on to flourish within their respective disciplines, many becoming BAFTA winners and nominees. Supporters of the initiative in recent years include actors Oliva Colman and Tilda Swinton , actor-producer Brad Pitt , directors Tom Harper and Barry Jenkins , game designers Brenda Romero and Tim Schafer , and actor-writers Sharon Horgan and Amy Schumer .

 See below for the full list of winners.

 ● Abubakar Salim - Actor ( Raised By Wolves )

● Chance Perdomo - Actor ( Chilling Adventures of Sabrina )

● Chris Cox - Art Director ( Ordia )

● Coco Jackson - Producer ( Dancing On Ice )

● Daniel Dewsbury - Director ( The Mighty Redcar )

● Gemma Langford - Writer / Indie Games Studio Manager ( Overcooked 2 )

● Jen Kenwood - Producer ( Pure )

● Kayleigh Llewellyn - Writer ( In My Skin )

● Kirstie Swain - Writer ( Pure )

● Laurie Nunn - Screenwriter ( Sex Education )

● Lesleyann White - Principal Quality Analyst ( Sunless Skies )

● Liam de Valmency - Senior Principal Programmer ( Dreams )

● Luke Hull - Production Designer ( Chernoby l)

● Niamh Algar - Actor ( Calm with Horses )

● Oliver Kassman - Producer ( Saint Maud )

● Rose Glass - Director / Writer ( Saint Maud )

● Sarah Brocklehurst - Producer ( Animals )

● Simon McMahon - Film Editor ( For Sama )

● Stella Corradi - Director ( Trigonometry )

FOLIO | Major new production takes a fresh look at The Playboy of the Western World

Written by JM Synge, the iconic ‘The Playboy of the Western World’ has been given a modern twist by director Oonagh Murphy, who casts a fresh look over this production, opening it up to a whole new generation.

 A play about life on the margins, the heart of this story transcribes the lengths we go to to create a reality more exciting than the place we find ourselves, in this instance it is one of feigned heroism and violence.

Extremely relevant when it first opened to great controversy in 1907, you can’t help but think of today’s society, where people are in a constant state of competition to showcase their own perfect (albeit not always real) life.

 Eloïse Stevenson is fantastic in her role as Pegeen, a fed up 20-something year old who is desperate to escape the confines of a life stuck in the middle of nowhere.
The arrival of stranger Christy Mahon (a great performance by Michael Shea) to her father’s shebeen, armed with tales that gets the whole village talking, ensures he is welcomed with great admiration by the locals, including Pegeen.

However, as is often the case, all is not as it seems and soon the playboy’s past threatens to catch up with him. Probably important to note that perhaps this is where the play’s new age doesn’t quite work as you can’t help but think that in the modern era, the outcome would be much easier. However, for the most part of the play, it does work - very well in fact.

 Murphy has made this play much sexier. The local girls, who are never too far from the new arrival, are played superbly; and I must give a special mention to the drunk scenes which were absolutely-freaking-hilarious!

 The set was also incredible. Molly O’Cathain excelled in her ability to bring the play to life through her design.  The introduction of Pegeen’s bedroom alongside the bar (the first time this has been incorporated into the play) added a brand new dimension, allowing us to glimpse different scenarios happening at the one time.

The Irish twang as well as the characters speaking in poetry (with lot of swearing) means visitors to our wee country might struggle to comprehend the dialect and at times even I found it quite difficult to understand, but the lines were incredible and kept the audience thoroughly entertained throughout – and the actors, who were so convincing in their roles, gave a brilliant performance delivering them.

 The play addresses the problem of Irish identification to great success. As would be expected with an Irish play, comic value (often inappropriate) runs throughout. Expect to laugh-out-loud in an almost “I should-not-be-laughing” kind of way.

 Emotional (tick), Funny (tick), sad (tick), bleak (tick) - ‘The Playboy of the Western World’ had all of the elements of a great play, including a shocking ending!

 The Playboy of the Western World runs until November 2, www.lyrictheatre.co.uk, box office. Tel: (028) 9038 1081.

FOLIO | The Girl on the Train

I'd read (and loved) the book, watched (and kinda liked) the movie, so waited with baited breath to find out if the stage play would make the cut. Adapting a novel for theatre is no easy task; even less so when it's already made it to cinema screens. The imaginary world we create mid novel rarely translates 100%, but in this case, the cast often came close. I saw the performance in the opulent setting of Belfast's Grand Opera House, as part of an ongoing UK wide tour.

 The Girl on the Train is based on Paula Hawkins' hugely successful psychological thriller, which sold 20 million copies worldwide. It follows the life of Rachel, who seeks escapism from her permanently pickled life through a train window, on her daily commute to an imaginary workplace. Following the breakdown of her marriage and loss of her job, she becomes obsessed with relationships between couples in the houses she passes on her journey, including that of her ex husband with his new wife and baby. Tensions heighten when one of the characters go missing and Rachel finds herself both a witness and suspect in the investigation.

The story dips through characters and times as each person's stories are interwoven seamlessly. Adrenalin rises in the second half of the play, as Rachel releases her grip on a vodka-filled water bottle and gradually begins to trust snippets of her drunken memories on the night that Megan vanished.

 Rachel is played by Samantha Womack, best known for her role as Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders, who commands the stage in every scene and is relentless in her performance. Adam Jackson-Smith is Megan's husband - the patronising and creepy Tom, while volatile Scott is portrayed by Coronation Street's Oliver Farnworth.

I appreciated how the play remained more true to the novel than the movie, where multiple changes included switching locations from London to New York. The staging is simple yet incredibly atmospheric, in keeping with the relentless twists and turns in the story. Impressive levels of realism are created through the props, well set scenery and clever flickering lighting, including effective representation of the moving train.

The play most definitely surpassed the Dreamworks film in my opinion, but the book was a No1 bestseller for a reason and I'd encourage any thriller lovers to start there.

The Girl on the Train is adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel and is directed by Anthony Banks with set and costumes by James Cotterill, lighting by Jack Knowles, sound by Ben and Max Ringham, projection design by Andrzej Goulding and fights by Alison de Burgh.

The play ran in the Grand Opera House in Belfast this month, but continues to tour the UK. For information, click on: https://www.girlonthetrainplay.com/

FOLIO | The REAL Housewives of Norn Iron

You either love or loathe Leesa Harker. Like most people, I’m in the LOVE camp, but for those few who aren’t, you can’t help but feel her infectious and warm (but raw) humour come through in her hilarious writing (Fifty Shades of Red, White & Blue, Maggie Muff etc).

 I was excited to see her new (sold out) Real Housewives show last week for two reasons: one, I just love her balance of piss-taking and love for the ordinary folk of this part of the world; and two because I had secured a role for one of our models, Johnny Hamilton, as a buff ‘peeler’ in a scene which comes alive to the 1980s Bonnie Tyler hit ‘I Need a Hero’ (with ‘hero’ swapped out for ‘peeler’). L-to-the-O-to-the-L. His character is somewhat based on the Facebook phenomenon that is/was Bobby Singleton, a regular PSNI spokesperson who unwittingly became lust-fodder for the wimmen on ‘Bakebook after a couple of police statement videos in the last year or two.

 Speaking of Bonnie’s hit, there are a few more 80s classics reworked with lyrics from the Norn Iron vernacular. Think ‘buck’, ‘boke’, ‘scundered’ and so on. Geg. It’s the first time Leesa has beefed up her plays with musical theatre and it definitely works. The audience, which is mostly women in their 30s, 40s and 50s, remembers the 1980s first time around and so the ante is well and truly upped on the overall atmosphere in the theatre. The buzz and banter is real.

 Like Sex and the City, even if you don’t identify with one character completely, you can probably relate to at least parts of their personalities or life experiences. Or you know someone just like them.

 The cast, which includes Caroline Curran, Roisin Gallagher, Rosie McClelland, Diona Doherty sees them thrown together as housewives from every walk of life flung together for a ‘Real Housewives’ TV show with a sleazy producer (Patrick McBrearty). The comedy sees secrets revealed and filth come out in a playing field which becomes more and more levelled as the TV show (and the play) goes on.

 To tell you any more would be a spoiler, so if you haven’t got tickets for the next run at the Opera House later this summer, then try to grab tickets for the touring show across NI over the next month. I challenge you to not get a sore belly from hearty laughs.

You can purchase tickets by visiting the Grand Opera house here: https://www.goh.co.uk/whats-on/the-real-housewives-of-norn-iron/

FOLIO | ALL MOD CONS

You know the way only your siblings can trigger deep-rooted, at-times-uncomfortable and almost always childish emotions and reactions to things? Well, All Mod Cons is a compelling examination of just that. It’s a brand new comedy-drama and the professional debut of playwright  and the Lyric’s artist-in-residence Erica Murray which premiered at the theatre last week and runs until 09 June. 

 The play follows estranged siblings Jean and Gary who are suddenly thrown back together after the death of their mother. On the surface things look different, Jean’s return home after eight years reveals her gender transition and Gary has grown from teenage thug to ‘woke hipster,’  but little has changed.  When old friend and useless estate agent Ian offers to help them find a place together, long-buried family tensions threaten to derail their already strained relationship. But don’t think that because there is a trans character, that this is a ‘trans’ play (if there is such a thing!) – what is so great is that the trans character is a family member just like her brother, and is integral to the storyline, but isn’t the storyline in and of itself.

All Mod Cons is a play that explores our capacity to accept change - in others as well as ourselves. It is directed by Ronan Phelan and features a stellar cast of Mariah Louca (Jean), Michael Shea (Gary), Chris McCurry (Ian) and Sophie Robinson (Laura).  For playwright Erica Murray, it was essential that the role of Jean was authentically represented. With this in mind, the casting call required a trans actor to play the role. Following auditions earlier this year, the Lyric was delighted to cast Mariah Louca in what will be her professional debut role. She plays it really well too, although her accent doesn’t always match the rest of the cast - but that is a hypercritical (and probably unnecessary and unfair) observation, given that her character changed sex and lived abroad for almost a decade. I know my accent changed when I lived in Europe for a few years. In any case, Mariah gave us a super strong debut performance despite a difficult storyline, with two very uncomfortable twists in the tale as the play progresses. I felt sorry for her in one of the situations and I was so genuinely angry with her character in another – but won’t spoil the story for you here. And speaking of angry, I was uncomfortably pissed off with all the characters at various moments – and that is a great thing, because art is supposed to evoke emotion.  

 Michael Shea gives us a great Gary, annoying little swaggering shit that he still is, despite embracing change and giving us some tender moments too. Chris McCurry as Ian swings from pathetic to predator and back to pathetic again – and he is as brilliant as his character is desperate. Sophie Robinson was awesome as the bossy brat Laura, I saw so many people I know in her character – and I loved and loathed the character in equal measure. All in all this play was cast perfectly. I had absolutely no idea what I was coming to see and left feeling slightly drained and emotional at the depth of evocative writing and delivery on stage. It was fantastic.

 Erica Murray, who wrote All Mod Cons,  said:  “All Mod Cons is a relationship drama between siblings Gary and Jean. Gary is trying to show Jean that he’s changed just as much as she has in the 8 years they’ve been apart. It was important to me that the character of Jean was represented correctly therefore it was  important that we cast a trans actor in the role. The play isn’t a trans story, it’s not about Jean’s journey to becoming a trans woman, although that journey is an integral part of her character. I am delighted that Mariah is playing the role of Jean. She is an exceptional actor. Watching all of our talented cast bring the play from page to stage and working with Ronan Phelan has been a very special journey for me. I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

 Executive Producer for Lyric, Jimmy Fay added: “We are delighted to debut Erica Murray’s All Mod Cons to Lyric audiences. Following on from the casting of Rebecca Root,  as the first trans actor in a professional role to take to the Irish stage in Rathmines Road  at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin,  this will be the  first time a trans actor has been cast in a professional role at the Lyric Theatre. This is yet another fantastic opportunity to celebrate and showcase the acting talent from our diverse communities  and on a Northern Ireland stage.”

Looking forward to her professional debut as Jean in All Mod Cons, Mariah Louca commented:  “When I first read All Mod Cons I was hooked from the outset. Erica has written a stunning piece of work that really looks at the notion of transformation by dissecting how we view ourselves vs how the world views us. I wanted to be a part of this story especially as it doesn’t rely on stereotypical tropes of the trans experience. Integrating a trans character into a wider more universal storyline helps further the trans narrative and I’m proud of the Lyric for being a part of that progression.”

 All Mod Cons  is supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery funding.

Performances run from 18 May – 9 June, with preview performances from 18 - 21 May at 8.00pm (Tues – Sat) and 2.45pm (Sat & Sun Matinee). Tickets from £10.00 - £18.00 available now at www.lyrictheatre.co.uk or 028 9038 1081.

WARD PARK 3

Snow Patrol's 25th Anniversary Gig: Ward Park 3

Claim to fame: Gary Lightbody ended up at my birthday party at my house in Helen’s Bay a few years ago, and sang happy birthday (as well as Light Up and a few other tracks) in my kitchen with Eamonn Holmes and my now deceased mum singing along. It was surreal. But so was Saturday night in Ward Park. More than 35,000 Snow Patrol fans descended on Bangor this weekend for Ward Park 3, the band's homecoming gig and Northern Ireland's biggest ever celebration of local musical talent. The gates opened at 2pm for a full day's entertainment featuring multiple home grown bands, everyone's favourite Snow Patrol hits and that moment when U2's Bono casually dandered on stage mid-song.

Celebrations had begun the night before at Ward Park Free, when crowds got into the spirit of things thanks to a line up of local bands and DJs in Bangor pubs, including Ryan McMullan and David C Clements.

Ward Park was buzzing on the balmy Saturday afternoon as it filled with people of all ages enjoying live music from picnic blankets, coats and (let's keep it real) ...the odd bin bag. There were loads of fresh food stalls (shout out to the delicious chocolate crepes) and two large bar areas. Bar queues were pretty painful, standard at this kind of event, though most people managed to fill their boots in the end!

Snow Patrol were supported by local favourites, Two Door Cinema Club, Foy Vance, Ash, SOAK, Jealous of the Birds and Brand New Friend, with some crowd members 'fessing they showed up more for the support than the main act. Gary dedicated 'Light Up' to all of the local acts who played on the day and "all the bands in our wee country.  In fact every band in the island of Ireland."

A second stage curated by Snow Patrol and Gary Lightbody’s NI artist development company, Third Bar, showcased up and coming artists such as JC Stewart, The Wood Burning Savages, Kitt Philippa and ROE.

Johnny McDaid's partner, Courtney Cox, shared this gorgeous selfie with Foy Vance - and shared a clip of his set at the gig saying "if you don't know this guy, you should!"

As the evening progressed, Gary said that although Ward Park 3 was a day to celebrate the best of Northern Irish music, they also wanted to “pay homage to the great music that comes from the Republic.... There's an awful lot of songs from the Republic of Ireland, but there was only one song that we could think of that said everything that needs to be said in these heady times. Just one song. Just one."

The crowd assumed U2 hit 'One' was a run of the mill cover and erupted as Bono walked on stage during the second verse.

Snow Patrol also paid tribute to recently murdered journalist, Lyra McKee, during their performance of Take Back the City, projecting a picture of campaigners at a same-sex marriage parade in Belfast carrying a giant cut-out of Lyra’s name in rainbow colours.

After the event Gary captioned his crowd pic on Instagram:

“I don’t really know what to say about that other than thank you all for giving us yet another extra special night in Ward Park, Bangor. To everyone that came thank you. Massive thanks to every band/artist that played today. It was an honour to play on the same bill as you all. An extra special thank you to the two great artists that joined us on stage: @ryanmcmullanmusic who has been touring with us all year and played ‘you’re all I have’ with us so beautifully. And to our secret special guest Bono, my goodness. To sing One with Bono was like a billion birthdays all rolled into, well, one. I’ll never forget it. And we’ll never forget today. All of it. Loads of love. Thank you  Bangor. gL.x “

Spot any of your faves among the set list?:

• Chocolate

• Take Back the City

• Crack the Shutters

• Empress

• Open Your Eyes

• Run

• Life on Earth

• Make This Go On Forever

• Shut Your Eyes

• Called Out in the Dark

• Heal Me

• The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)

• One (U2 Cover with Bono)

• Chasing Cars

• You're All I Have (with Ryan McMullan)

Encore:

• What If This is All the Love You Ever Get?

• Just Say Yes

FOLIO | CALENDAR GIRLS - A DATE NOT TO BE MISSED

Sunflowers are blooming at the Grand Opera House Belfast this month, as the Calendar Girls are in town and the cast has brought the sunshine to the city!

Calendar Girls, The Musical is a new take on the well-known Calendar Girls’ story; a story of hope, friendship, bravery and love which began 20 years ago. This new musical by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth captures the essence of the original (and pretty sensational) news story but with a modern, musical feel. As well as beautiful, bright staging and costumes, the new production has risqué poses and big musical numbers, it is the perfect feel-good production for a night out - and I really enjoyed it.

If I’m honest though, it took me a little while to get into this production with the pace of first act being a teeny bit slow for me. I guess the producers were busy scene-setting, character building and establishing the quintessential Englishness of the large cast of characters (including Lisa Maxwell, Sue Devaney, Julia Hills and Rebecca Storm) which goes on to be shattered in the second act with their nudity.  

The story tells the tale of Annie (Sarah Jane Buckley) and her husband John (Phil Corbitt) who live and work in a closely-knit community in Yorkshire, but who unfortunately face tragedy when John is diagnosed with cancer and, [SPOILER ALERT!], subsequently passes away. What happens after is the stuff of legend. Or of many newspaper articles and now a show, anyway!

In the second act the story definitely moves up a notch in terms of pace, as the girls decide to throw caution (and all that stiff-upper-lip Englishness) to the wind to produce a fundraising calendar – a nude one – à la Pirelli – and it is here that the real humour of the show begins. The Grand Opera House audience lapped up every moment of the antics, with the cast seeming to grow in confidence at their reaction (although I imagine they get the same reaction everywhere they go, such is the warmth of the story). The talented and very brave actors shine, even Lesley Joseph (best known for her role as Doreen in Birds of a feather), who isn’t he strongest singer but delivers her solo numbers with gusto, singing from the heart and engaging many menopausal and post-menopausal women in the audience as she sings about the perils of growing old.

 As the show climaxes with the fantastically choreographed finale (which has to be seen to believed), you are left with a broad smile on your face,  (although I did shed a tear or two, truth be told) and feeling pride for the performers and for the original Calendar Girls who are still raising money for the Bloodwise charity to this day. And if that fact doesn’t uplift you, the emboldened and empowered flashes of fifty-something flesh certainly will!

Calendar Girls runs until Saturday 25 May tickets available at goh.co.uk.

FOLIO | STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece “A Streetcar Named Desire” has been brought back to the Lyric Theatre for the first time since 1984 thanks to Irish Times Theatre Award-winning director Emma Jordan.

Set in the New Orleans’ Latin Quarter, the play follows Southern beauty Blanche DuBois, who, in an attempt to escape her former life and past trauma, fulfils a role of false pretence in an attempt to escape the fact that she is not who she wants or claims to be.

As the play unfolds, this façade starts to marry into reality as Blanche struggles to balance the fine lines of truth and pretence she has created, slowly falling from grace into (what some call) madness. In today’s world we’d recognise symptoms of PTSD and treat her with dignity and sympathy instead of letting her drift into survival and coping mechanisms such as alcohol dependency and the needy, desperate love-seeking in not-so-nice men. It’s important to note that the play is set in a time when women were dependant on men and the lack of opportunities (plus heavy judgement that would undoubtedly come from society should a woman show signs of strength or stray from societal norms), meant that often women felt trapped in situations which they struggled to control. Compare that to the recent reaction to modern day music heroine Cardi B’s admission to using men to get through hard times and we can take a macro look at how women’s situations and perceptions have evolved.

But back to this performance - this Blanche is played by Aoibheann McCann with a fragile, yet steel intensity. I was mesmerised by her, and her powerful performance saw her act almost as stage manager, frantically trying to keep up the web of lies she has spun. As each lie comes undone to reveal the desperate truth, the complex and tragic character comes apart and McCann’s captivating performance is truly outstanding.

Blanche arrives at her sister Stella’s home in the impoverished Latin Quarter with hopes of starting a new life after losing her ancestral mansion, her job and her reputation. She is introduced to her violent brother-in-law Stanley, played brilliantly by Mark Huberman who despises his wife’s sister and her background. In a collision of different worlds, conflicts between the two soon follow.

McCann and Huberman act out the perfect display of ferocious hatred in the intense scenes that follow as the characters’ passionate dislike for each other reaches fever point. Huberman’s portrayal of the brutal Staney is impeccable, although my one critique is that his accent is more Bronx than Southern. That’s not important though, given his performance and presence. Like Meghan Tyler, who plays a sensational Stella, I can see how she’d want to make love to him and run from him at the same time.

There was barely a dry eye in the house as Meghan broke down before us in those final, heart-breaking scenes. The raw emotion that radiated from her performance was captivating and I couldn’t take my eyes off her, trying at once to empathise with her loss and sorrow as well as understand how a sister could let her sibling be taken off to the looney bin. The sense of loss paired with the realisation that she is once again truly alone allows us to glimpse what life is truly like for Stella; so watching as a woman living in modern society is difficult.

Without losing any of the complexity and tragedy that blankets itself around the original script, Jordan has successfully portrayed a story where there is a constant power struggle between fantasy and reality, shown faultlessly in the form of Blanche.
Although, as we begin to delve deeper into the storyline, we have to question whether anyone has a true grasp in reality; - from Stella who can’t see past the sex in her relationship to confront the true extent of the abuse by husband Stanley, to Stanley’s best friend Mitch (Seamus O’Hara)  who normalises Stanley’s (and his own) domestic abuse by saying that “it’s ok, they are crazy about each other”. The irony isn’t lost on me that Blanche, with her traditional southern values, is horrified at the domestic abuse yet blind to how men have abused her too.  

As we watch Blanche unfold before us, we can’t help but question whether she has in fact got her happy ending. Gore Vidal once said Tennessee Williams told him that A Streetcar Named Desire has a happy ending, and as I watched Blanche walk away on the arm of a doctor, leaving Stella behind trapped with a violent, drink-fuelled Stanley from whom she may never escape, you can’t deny that her new life, flirting enjoyably with the doctors at whatever institution she ends up in, appears to be more appealing than that of her younger sister’s, so this powerful production leaves us questioning whether the tragedy is more Stella’s than her older sister’s. The character of Blanche is often said to be based on Williams’ sister Rose, who suffered from mental health issues and tragically became incapacitated after a lobotomy. I do hope Blanche didn’t meet that end.

As ever with Lyric plays, the background team has proven itself to be as remarkable as those on stage. Enda Kenny did a fantastic job with the costumes and Lyric favourite Ciaran Bagnall excelled once again with the set and lighting. The music (by Carl Kennedy) successfully moved the plot along and the whole set beautifully highlighted Blanche’s move into madness.

FOLIO| IN GOOD COMPANY

By Zoe Stevenson

Following his sell-out production of Les Miserables in 2016, director James Huish returns to the Grand Opera House with Darren Gardiner (of LSFX Productions who recently brought us the spectacular Ulster Orchestra/Lush Classical) to bring us Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy – ‘Company - The Musical’.

There is always something magical in the moment where the lights dim and the curtains lift, giving us our first anticipated look at the theatre set in front of us. In Company, as the curtain lifts we are transported to Manhattan and catch our first glance of main character Robert, who is celebrating his 35th birthday.

Unable to think of a wish as he reluctantly blows out his birthday candles, ‘Bobby’ questions whether he should be happy with his own lot surrounded by his married friends - “these good and crazy people” – or if he should wish for his own romantic partner.

Company boldly premiered on Broadway in 1970 and was a comic take on the evolving nature of relationships amongst the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation as the growing ‘Hippy’ movement challenged the traditional marital status.

As the plot develops, we journey with Bobby to a series of dinner parties, first dates and meaningful conversations where he tries to understand the pros and cons of marriage from those “good and crazy” friends as well as making sense of his own persistent bachelorhood. The scene where Bobby unwillingly tempts his two best friends, Harry & Sarah, played hilariously by Meabh Quinn & Eamon Connolly, to fulfil their damaging vices before a karate showdown ensues is particularly entertaining.

These snippets of conversation offer an evocatively ambivalent study of marriage, perfectly displayed in “Sorry-Grateful” where three married men talk about the tug the contradictory impulses of marriage: “you’re scared she’s starting to drift away – and scared she’ll stay”, a theme which runs throughout the play.

Another favourite part is when Amy, an anxious and jittery bride (and one of Bobby’s best friends) desperately tries to cancel her wedding, to the dismay of a never-escaping nun. Spitting out the fast and furious “Getting Married Today” at astonishing speed, the audience was left in that belly-holding-tear-inducing laughter state that can only be brought on by great acting and great writing – something this play has in abundance.

Although Mark Tilley plays a character that is emotionally disconnected, there is no denying his magnetic ability to make the audience connect with him; and he plays Bobby’s character brilliantly.

His fierce portrayal of a confused character battling against himself as he questions what he is and what he wants to become is powerfully delivered in songs such as “Being Alive”.

Surrounded by a great group of supporting actors who each bring their own wild vocal attack (can’t not mention Marta here, played by Katie Shortt who delivered an excellent solo performance in the first act), the cast each give their own extraordinary performance.

George Furth’s quick quips & Stephen Sondheim’s dazzling songs about the challenges of dating, marriage and feeling trapped, flow in and out of each other in the form of ‘Bobby’ who perfectly portrays a man desperately trying to find the ending in his maze of emotions as he confronts his fear of commitment and the loneliness of being on his own. Ultimately, the story uses intelligent (and hilarious) humour to make us think about relationships, being vulnerable and “being alive”.

Put simply, Company is one of those fantastic grown up musicals that we can all relate to, we all have a ‘Bobby’ (or perhaps we are one) in our lives who, afraid to fully submerge themselves in the murky waters of commitment, timidly dip their toes instead in a desperate attempt to cling onto their freedom, unable to determine what it is they want, but constantly fighting the pressure to be stereotyped by modern society.

More information – including how to book tickets – can be found at:  www.goh.co.uk/whats-on/companythemusical

FUN | KELLYS PORTRUSH CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

- “LIVE AT THE BEACH PORTRUSH”- KELLYS PORTRUSH CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY YEAR WITH NORTHERN IRELAND’S BIGGEST EVER BEACH FESTIVAL!-

 Northern Ireland’s biggest and best beach festival has just been announced to take place this summer as the world’s hottest DJs join the Ulster Orchestra to mark 50 years of partying in Portrush - all thanks to Kellys and Lush!

 Kellys Portrush/Lush! have announced plans for an all-new 12,000 capacity Beach Festival in their spiritual home of Portrush this summer and we can’t wait!
Following the overwhelming success of the sell-out Lush! Classical shows at the SSE Arena Belfast and Ebrington Square, Derry/Londonderry for the Clipper Yacht Race celebrations, Lush! are now taking things to the next level with their Biggest classical show to date...taking the ‘Lush Classical’ concept outdoors with the North Coast’s stunning coastline as its backdrop. The event is in celebration of Kellys 50th year providing top-class entertainment for music fans across Northern Ireland…bringing it home to Portrush… can you imagine a better Summer evening?!

Lush! Classical Live at the Beach will be staged on August 10, 2019, at Portrush’s famous East Strand and will feature some of the hottest dance acts on the planet collaborating with Northern Ireland's most accomplished classical musicians. The event is part of a three-day music festival event in partnership with LSFX Productions.

For generations of music-fans in Northern Ireland, Kellys in Portrush has always been synonymous with the biggest stars of the local and international dance scene filling the floors every weekend for the most enthusiastic revellers. We all remember uni nights spent dancing the night away in Kellys.

The newly revamped Kellys venue is also renowned for innovation and pushing the boundaries of genre, while pioneering new forms of dance music. 

 Despite the fact it’s celebrating 50 years providing top class entertainment, for 2019, the team at Kellys is planning the biggest and best celebration to date.

 The Lush! Classical Live at the Beach event will see a 55-piece Ulster Orchestra, produced by Kylie Minogue’s musical director Steve Anderson combined with the genius of DJ and musical producer, Dave Seaman and featuring ‘Ibiza’s favourite saxophone player’ Lovely Laura and Maria Nayler. The event has capacity for 12,000 music fans -making it the biggest ever outdoor Classical dance event in Northern Ireland estimated at contributing more than £1.8million to the local economy. 

 Special guests include Seb Fontaine, Tall Paul, K Klass, Ben Santiago, Dee Montero and Junior J and tickets are expected to sell out quickly for what’s set to be Northern Ireland’s biggest ever beach party.

 Peter Wilson (48) is the second generation of his family to take over running Kellys, originally set up by his late uncle James Kelly in 1969. 

What started as a cowshed for staging barn dances 50 years ago has developed into one of the best-known nightclubs in Europe and this summer’s event will the most ambitious to date.

“This is going to be a golden year for Kellys as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, so we really wanted to pull out all the stops and give our loyal fans the party of their life,” Peter said.

Lush! Classical Live at the Beach will be staged on August 10, 2019, at Portrush’s East Strand from 5pm to 11pm. 
Tickets cost £35 and £50 (plus booking fees) for the VIP area (hosted by Ibiza’s Café Mambo) and can be purchased from the usual outlets. 

For more information go to www.liveatthebeach.co.uk. Note, this event is strictly over 18’s only. 

FOLIO | ‘BOUNCERS’ IS THE RAUCOUS NEW COMEDY AT THE MAC... JUST DON’T WEAR TRAINERS!

This season’s offering at the MAC is already getting people talking, as John Godber’s hit play Bouncers comes to town for a three-week extended run. The show is a co-production between the MAC and Big Telly; starting on Saturday 30 March.

Set over the course of one night in a 1980s Belfast nightclub, giving it a distinctive Northern Irish flavour, Bouncers is a darkly funny play about the characters and shenanigans of an 80’s Belfast disco, as seen through the eyes of the club’s doormen.

Quick-witted and at times close to the bone, this rollercoaster of a play features four of Belfast’s finest comedic actors - Ciaran Nolan, Conor Grimes, Martin Maguire and Chris Robinson – who play all the parts. All the familiar characters from a typical night on the tiles make an appearance, from the cheesy DJ, to the kebab-shop proprietor and, of course, the foul-mouthed bouncers themselves.

As always with the MAC, you can expect something a little different, as all the action takes place within the exclusive Luminaire Club, transforming the theatre space into an intimate jazz-club experience complete with table service.

The MAC’s Creative Director, Simon Magill said: “Bouncers has been described as one of the funniest plays written in the last 40 years, but with the creative direction of Big Telly’s Zoe Seaton and experienced cast members like Conor Grimes, Ciaran Nolan, Marty Maguire and Chris Robinson, this promises to be a no-holds barred theatre experience.

It’s a play that is unapologetically provocative, remaining true to John Godber’s original script. However, we've relocated the action to a Belfast nightclub, with an evocative 80's soundtrack that many people will relate to.

You’ll be immersed in the 80s vibe and enjoy the extra special experience of our Luminaire Club, where we’ve played with the flexibility of our theatre space creating something very special for audiences. With this intimate club setting serving as a backdrop, this fast-paced, rollercoaster of a show will have you laughing one minute, then questioning if attitudes have really changed since 80s Belfast.”

The show will run from Saturday 30th March until Saturday 20th April, but with tickets set to sell out fast, book now to avoid disappointment! Avail of discount prices of up to 25% when you book multiple events in advance. This also applies to premium cabaret tickets which will allow for the full nightclub experience

FOLIO | THE 39 STEPS AT THE LYRIC THEATRE, BELFAST

The Lyric Theatre and Bruiser Theatre Company’s current production of John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps is the perfect antidote to this week’s howling wind and rain outside, bringing back a brilliant and hilarious sell out show last seen here in 2016.  

.This fast-paced, action packed co-production, which runs from 02–31 March, features 4 fearless actors (Hannah Brackstone-Brown, Michael Condron, Michael Johnston and Benjamin Stratton) playing no fewer than 139 roles and delivering some of Hitchcock’s celebrated scenes including the train top chase and the Forth Bridge escape as well as many funny scenarios with belly-laugh accents and a few quick step choreography moments across the Highlands and lowlands of Scotland. As in John Buchan’s book,  we follow the adventures of the dashing hero Richard Hannay as he grapples with dastardly murderers, double-crossing secret agents and devastatingly beautiful women; narrowly escaping from a succession of hair-raising escapades and hooting with laughter as he and his fellow characters deliver some absolutely great one-liners.

The casting is excellent and delivery, wonderful.

Most definitely worth a watch.

www.lyrictheatre.co.uk

FOLIO | ALICE: THE MUSICAL AT THE LYRIC IS A TRULY WONDERFUL TAKE ON WONDERLAND

I didn’t see Paul Boyd’s Alice: The Musical at the Lyric twenty years ago, but I can’t imagine it was anywhere as camp and colourful as this year’s take on the original Lewis Carroll tale - which was my favourite theatre experience this Christmas - because after touring the world for two decades, I can only guess that this production gets better with every performance.

 Alice: The Musical tells the story of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland and her attempts to escape the clutches of the notorious Queen of Hearts (Allison Harding). Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice (Ruby Campbell) in pursuit of the elusive White Rabbit (Christina Nelson), to discover a fantastic realm where nothing makes sense. On her journey Alice meets an assortment of strange characters, including the famous acting duo of Tweedledum (Rea Campbell-Hill ) and Tweedledee (Adam Dougal), the unpredictable and hilarious Caterpillar (Mark Dugdale), the Mad Hatter (Mark Dugdale), and members of his underground political movement the Tea Party including the March Hare (Adam Dougal) and the Dormouse (Rea Campbell-Hill), and the seriously mad inventor The White Knight (Adam Dougal) – overseen at all times by the enigmatic Cheshire Cat (Charlotte McCurry).

Just seven actors covered all the roles in this massive musical revival - and I have to compliment the nanosecond synchronicity in the choreography (well done Deborah Maguire)  as well as truly West End-worthy singing and acting across the board. And although Ruby Campbell’s Alice and the icy /slash bonkers Queen of Hearts played by Allison Harding were both amazing, it was Mark Dugdale’s Mad Hatter and his caterpillar which enthralled me most. Both were absolutely en pointe. Christina Nelson also delivered a brilliant White Rabbit too, along with a few other roles between costume changes.

And on that note - THE COSTUMES!! As a fashionista first and foremost, I totally loved Gillian Lennox and Erin Charteris’ interpretations of the original illustrations, with a bit of Studio 54/Rio carnival thrown in for good measure. Stuart Marshall’s set was pretty spectacular too, especially when you consider the same stage delivers the ‘grown up’ theatre performance Bah Humbug each night after Alice.

All in all this is a truly Broadway-standard production and the big number finish left me baying for more.

Alice: The Musical will run at Lyric Theatre 29 November – 5 January. Tickets prices are Children: £12.50 Adult: £17.50, Family: £55.00. Discounts available for school bookings. For more information and tickets visit:

FOLIO | HUMBUG IS HILARIOUS - THIS YEAR'S LYRIC THEATRE PRODUCTION IS FAB!

Grimes and McKee’s modern day Christmas Carol opening couldn’t have been more timely for me as, just weeks before, I had battled with my otherwise amazing other half because the last quarter of the year turns him completely business-obsessed and easily-impressed by the power of clients - some of whom are property moghuls who put profit before people.  All that ‘networking’ until 4am at the Merchant or Malmaison rather than coming home meant that Michael Condron’s Ebeneezer character touched quite  a sore nerve.

The story in brief is that Ebeneezer Scrooge (played fantastically by Condron) is the richest property developer in Belfast and, like in the original Dickens’ novel, he is visited by ghosts of the Christmas past, present and future in an effort to show him the error of his selfish, miserly and profit-focused ways and to encourage him to share his time and resources with those who matter.

Condron is brilliant as Scrooge - just as great on stage and in character as he had been earlier this year playing the twisted Pastor in Sinners. But each of the other actors (Grimes, McKee, Roisin Gallagher and Sophie Harkness ) was amazing in their myriad roles throughout the play, delivering script and form as varied as they come - and packed with jollity too.

In short, Ebenezer is a real Scrooge type whose only gods are money and success and who abandoned his only family (a niece borne of his beloved sister who died in childbirth) in favour of these. The same miserly figure treats his staff abysmally, and swans around the city in his brand new Range Rover not giving a proverbial f*%k about culture (there were some good Cathedral Quarter jibes in there which went down with the Lyric crowd).  The play tells the same story as the original, but with local relevance as well as a global (and important) message. There is plenty of great music too, with lots of rehashed classic Christmas songs and the odd 80s number. [And on this note, my only critique was the choice of the Conga as the whole ‘mood change’ music in the second act. It was kinda lost on me and I wished it had been different/better/something else, but that might have changed by the time Christmas comes around].   

Sometimes I get bored of Norn Iron humour - and not because I’m one of those snobby arts people, but I just think we can do better than the clichéd ‘aye right, love’ // ‘yer da, my ma’ kind of script. However when it’s done right, à la Jimmy Young in his 1970s peak, our humour is frickin’ hilarious and Bah Humbug sets this tone brilliantly.

Bah, Humbug! runs at Lyric Theatre Belfast from 17 Nov 2018 – 05 Jan 2019 8pm (17 & 18 Nov: £15).

Tickets: £22.50, Concessions (Students, Unemployed & Under 20’s): £15, over 65’s any matinee: £15.

For further information and bookings visit: www.lyrictheatre.co.uk