‘BEAUTY QUEEN IS BACK’

By R.J. Donovan
February 1, 2017
R.J. Donovan

Marie Mullen talks about ‘Mag,’ the manipulative mother

Druid Theatre Company — founded in Galway in 1975 by Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen, and the late Mick Lally — stands not only as one of the world’s most respected arts organizations, but also at the forefront of the development of Irish theatre. 

More than 20 years ago, an unsolicited script landed in their offices.  Penned by a little-known writer, the play would become “The Beauty Queen of Leenane.”
Marie Mullen and Aisling O’Sullivan clash in Druid Theatre’s production of Martin McDonagh’s “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” at the Paramount, February 8 - 26. Craig Schwartz photoMarie Mullen and Aisling O’Sullivan clash in Druid Theatre’s production of Martin McDonagh’s “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” at the Paramount, February 8 - 26. Craig Schwartz photo
Set in a bleak house in rural Ireland, the dark-but-comic subversive thriller examined the cat-and-mouse relationship between a tyrannical, house-bound mother and her lonely, isolated daughter. 

As soon as Hynes read the piece, she knew the play was extraordinary. She was struck by the compelling dialogue and riveting characters.  This was not a rough draft from a fledging author but a taut, tense, fully realized work from someone with an exceptional voice.  

The author was Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, today internationally renowned for such stage works as “A Skull in Connemara,” “The Pillowman,” “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” and others.

17th Century Nun's Prayer

By Ed Forry
December 29, 2016


Lord,

thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other’s pains, but help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a saint-some of them are so hard to live with-but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the Devil.

Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people. And, give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

Amen.

A New Year’s looksee: Some of our favorite Irish places

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
December 29, 2016

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR

January, the window into 2017, invites a review of some of our favorite places, accommodations, and attractions in Ireland for travelers who might visit this year.

The island offers every kind of activity an active traveler might want from golf to hill-walking to adventure sports on land, lake, and sea. But it also boasts a huge array of non-sporting options for all ages and interests from libraries, museums, theatre, historical attractions, art and music to gardens, zoos, wildlife parks, city walks, pub crawls, and much, much more.

‘Something Rotten’ has fun with Broadway and The Bard

By R.J. Donovan
December 29, 2016
R.J. Donovan

Rob McClure and the company of the new musical “Something Rotten.” Joan Marcus photoRob McClure and the company of the new musical “Something Rotten.” Joan Marcus photo
It’s always a treat to see a new musical comedy. Revivals are great in celebrating successful shows from the past, but an original musical with a new story, music, and lyrics can unearth fresh theatrical discoveries and create new favorites.

With a tip of the hat to Shakespearean times, the new musical “Something Rotten” is just what the bleak mid-winter of our discontent calls for. 

The year is 1595 and William Shakespeare is a rock star among the masses.  Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are frustrated playwrights who can’t break into the Bard’s hold on audiences.  Nick, in particular, hates Shakespeare for his preening ego.
Just when things look darkest for the Bottom brothers, a soothsayer has a vision: Forget sonnets. The next big thing in theater will involve singing, dancing, and acting, all at the same time.

BCMFest’s Nightcap Concert will hail tradition, renewal

By Sean Smith
December 29, 2016
Sean Smith

Rachel Reeds (pictured) will lead a Cape Breton “house party” as part of the BCMFest 2017 Nightcap concert, while Shannon Heaton presents a live multimedia performance of her “Irish Music Stories” project.Rachel Reeds (pictured) will lead a Cape Breton “house party” as part of the BCMFest 2017 Nightcap concert, while Shannon Heaton presents a live multimedia performance of her “Irish Music Stories” project.When a festival has gone on for almost 15 years, it’s bound to get a little introspective. And that’s a key element of the 14th annual Boston’s Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest), which takes place Jan. 13 and 14 at locations in Harvard Square, according to organizers, who see this year’s edition as celebrating renewal – within the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, and other Celtic-related traditions, and also within Boston’s traditional music and dance community.

That theme of community, tradition, and renewal is reflected in the BCMFest 2017 Nightcap concert, the festival’s closing event, scheduled for Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in First Church, Cambridge (1446 Massachusetts Avenue). The concert will explore the theme in two parts: a live multimedia performance of the “Irish Music Stories” podcast by BCMFest co-founder and co-organizer Shannon Heaton, and a “house party”-style presentation of Cape Breton music and dance.

“Throughout BCMFest’s history, dominant themes seem to emerge each year,” explains Heaton. “This year, the BCMFest Committee saw numerous acts with a particularly strong appreciation and understanding of Celtic traditions. Even the newer fusion-type acts have that solid ‘trad’ foundation. Given how many younger performers will be featured this year, it shows how our local community has taken the tradition into its heart and home.

Does Trump’s Irish-American team know where they came from?

By Peter F. Stevens
December 29, 2016
Peter F. Stevens


Anyone who bet at the outset of 2016 that Donald Trump would win the White House is smarter—as well as richer, perhaps—than most of the “all-knowing” media, pundits, and pollsters in the world. An even longer bet, however, might have been that an inner Trumpian circle of Irish Americans would prove key in electing a man who stands for nativism, racism, religious bigotry, and misogyny.

Kellyanne Conway, retired US Gen. Michael Flynn, Speaker of the US House Paul Ryan, and Steve Bannon – all with blood ties to the old sod, and all of whom have helped bring smiles to the face of Vladimir Putin – are poised to help Trump “drain the Washington swamp” and replace it with a reeking bog of corruption by billionaires. That the majority of Irish Americans cast their votes for Trump is yet more proof that they are paying lip service to the misty-eyed, Danny Boy-esque heritage of their “Irish-Need-Not-Apply” forebears.

Formidable challenges face Ireland in the coming year

By Joe Leary
December 29, 2016
Joe Leary

Every New Year brings new challenges and new surprises. For Ireland, both North and South, 2017 will be a very critical year. The American election and the British vote to leave Europe (Brexit) will dramatically impact Ireland and could be very disruptive. Ireland is so small that neither the United States nor the UK worry too much about the island when it comes to solving their own problems.

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