Jini Rooney - Page 2

A volatile cocktail: World War 2. Stormy politics. Nationalism. Fascism. Power. Propaganda. High treason. Playwright, Thomas Kilroy's illuminating script spotlights two Irishmen, both influential political wrestlers and unintentional opponents in the WW2 arena.

Theater heaven. A rare occurrence when every component of a production converges in perfect harmony to create a tour de force. Druid Theatre Company have accomplished this with their current production of Richard III. Adding pizzazz, Opening Night was attended by a fine complement of glitterati from Irish radio, theater, and screen.

Writer and actress Gina Moxley stumbled upon the 1965 film Three Approaches to Psychotherapy (aka The Gloria Films) whilst residing in New York City. Set in the USA, the documentary-turned-movie centers around Gloria Szymanski a 30 year-old discontent divorcee who is filmed receiving distinctly different counseling sessions from 3 renowned psychotherapists.

Strap yourself in for a high octane ride from the mini metropolis of Prospect, Galway to the bright lights of the Eurovision Song Contest and back again with Fionn Foley's uproarious one-man farce. Foley plays Brendan Galileo, an earnest and ambitious young man who tries his hand in local politics with the sole intent to overturn the system's archaic bureaucracy.

Writer Michael West artfully distills the dark essence of Mary Shelley's classic into a fateful 70 minutes, gratifying literary scholars and beguiling newcomers. I imagine Director Muireann Ahern enjoyed collaborating with her colleague, Louis Lovett, to unsettle and bewitch the audience. (Ahearn & Lovett are Joint Artistic Directors of Theatre Lovett.) Lovett was triumphant as both Victor Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster, undertaking his heinous crusade with aplomb.

Jimmy's Hall is based on the true story of a tin barn built on a farm in Leitrim by Jimmy Gralton in the 1920s. His vision of a haven for the local community to congregate for music, dance and lively discourse is perceived as a menace by the local establishment, including the Catholic Church, then at the height of their influence in Ireland. The church soon wield their political influence to banish the 'revolutionary' Gralton from Ireland.

Come on Home is a quintessentially Irish tale exploring the fragile yet resilient bonds of family against a backdrop of sexual intolerance, rejection and regret. Playwright Philip McMahon's new narrative dredges the murky waters of small-town Irish prejudice and presents it compassionately without bias or judgement.

On Thursday, June 16th, 1904 a young man and his new belle spent their first day together wandering the streets of Dublin. The experience had such a profound impact on him that over the following 2 decades he commemorated the milestone by writing a fictional account about the lives of a group of Dubliners on that eventful day. The young man was James Joyce, that day is now universally known as Bloomsday, and his immortal novel, is Ulysses.

Pan Pan Theatre Company presents the 10th incarnation of The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane since its premiere at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2010. Director, Gavin Quinn wields his poetic license to challenge and stimulate his audience in this experimental production.