Entertainment
Comedy Carnival play explores highs and lows of Singlehood
Una McKevitt describes herself as “a bit of a lone wolf” when it comes to making theatre, so it seems only natural that the Dubliner has created the drama Singlehood, which will play Galway’s Town Hall Theatre on next Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25 as part of the Vodafone Comedy Carnival.
As the title suggests, it’s a piece that delves into the lives of singletons to reveal personal stories that are funny, raw and poignant.
“I’d had a lot of relationships over 10 years and hadn’t been single in that time. Coming out of the last one, I started thinking about that,” explains Una of the background to the piece.
That last relationship hadn’t been great for a while, she says, and the notion of singlehood became an increasing preoccupation. Una has a history of creating plays based on real-life stories, so with the help of a friend, she put out a Facebook appeal, asking people to tell their stories about being single.
Initially she cast a friend, a divorcee, to play various roles and she had thought the piece would evolve into a drama of stories from singletons she knew who would perform in it. But there wasn’t enough variety in that, so she teamed up with David Coffey (Dan & Becs, Fade Street) and they interviewed over 50 single men and women aged between 16-60. These were from different backgrounds with different experiences. Singlehood ran at Project Arts Centre as part of the 2012 Dublin Theatre Festival.
Then she started getting actors to perform the stories, and the piece became even livelier, she says.
And it grew still further after she attended the Sugar Club in Leeson Street one night where she saw comedian and singer Aidan Strangeman, who had won the 2014 So You Think You’re Funny Award in Edinburgh. His songs, some of them about online dating, struck a chord and she decided to ask him to become involved.
“They are on the right side of cheeky but they have poignancy to them too,” she says.
Now Singlehood consists of three strands, Una explains.
“There are stories from people we don’t know, there are stories from the cast and there are the songs.”
Direction and use of stage lighting allows the audience to differentiate between the different stories.
The show has a cast of seven actors, including comedians Eric Lalor and PJ Gallagher, as well as one musician.
It’s presented by UMCK productions, the name under which Una operates, although she stresses that she doesn’t have her own theatre company – she can’t afford to. She is a small operation and that works best for her.
“I got into theatre pretty late in 2008 as a mature student, and I didn’t have a big peer group. It was a funny time to be getting into theatre,” she says, referring to the start of the recession.
Her documentary plays have received a great reaction and this current production of Singlehood has been funded by an Arts Council touring grant.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
After more than four decades of performing on stage, the Tuam-based Marian Choral Society are embarking on their latest challenge, with plans to stage Evita in the autumn.
While they have announced details of the new production, they have yet to ringfence a cast for the epic. Auditions will take place over the coming weeks.
Chairperson Stuart Barrows told The Tribune that it was an exciting challenge for the group and expressed his delight that so many new members had joined the society.
The Marian Choral Society welcome back Ronan Lardner as Director for Evita, as well as Shane Farrell as Musical Director. And Jay Molyneux is on board for the first time as Choreographer for this production.
The musical will run from Tuesday, October 31, to Saturday, November 4, and will be staged in St Jarlath’s College Hall, Tuam.
The Marian Choral Society had never missed an annual production since their formation back in 1977 – until Covid struck. The pandemic meant that they had to abandon their plans for a couple of years – similar to other artistic groups.
Covid brought to an end a proud record of 43 consecutive productions, during which time they never missed a year. In fact, in 2013, they embarked on two shows to mark Tuam’s 400 celebrations.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Galway Cathedral is the venue this Saturday evening, March 25, for a performance of Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion from the Irish Baroque Orchestra (IBO). It will start at 7.30pm.
Conductor Peter Whelan will direct the IBO and the vocal ensemble Sestina Music, with the solo parts being performed by members of the choir and the role of the Evangelist taken on by tenor James Way. This concert of sacred music is being presented by Music for Galway as part of its Bach Season.
The renowned baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach wrote hundreds of sacred pieces while he was director of church music at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig from 1723 until his death in 1750. The St Matthew Passion, which was first performed there on April 11, 1727, is his most elaborate work, with big parts for four soloists.
Its story was drawn mostly from St Matthew’s Gospel but the pieces that Bach put to music were written by various contemporary poets.
This epic work was performed on several occasions during the composer’s lifetime but was then forgotten for nearly 80 years, until Felix Mendelssohn discovered it in the 1820s and performed an abbreviated version in Berlin in 1829.
Mendelssohn would later perform it in Leipzig, with much of the original score restored and it’s now an integral part of the sacred canon. For this Saturday, the advice from Music for Galway is to “bring a cushion and experience this exceptional work performed by outstanding cast”.
Tickets are available from Music for Galway’s website www.musicforgalway.ie or by phone on 091 705962 and cost €30/€27 and €12 for full-time students of all ages. There’s a concession rate of €25 for Music for Galway Friends. To learn more about becoming Friend, visit the website or phone the office.
Reverie, the debut album from Galway folk-Americana group the Raines is being officially launched this Friday, March 24 following a musical celebration Galway City on Tuesday evening to mark its release.
The Raines, comprising Ruth Dillon, Yvonne Tiernan and Juliana Erkkonen, have been making waves on the music scene since 2019 and their last five singles have reached Number One in the iTunes charts.
Although they only joined forces four years ago – just before Covid – all three have a long track record in the business.
Ruth (vocals, guitar, ukulele) toured and recorded with singer Dolores Keane, is a former member of the roots group, The Molly Hicks, and has released three solo albums. Yvonne (vocals/ukulele/percussion) has toured internationally with numerous bands, most notably as lead singer with The Chieftains while Juliana (fiddle and vocals) has long been at the forefront of Ireland’s Americana music scene and has released eight albums with a diverse range of acts.
Reverie, with its terrific songs and beautiful harmonies, demonstrates the deep connection between the three women and showcases their unique blend of music.
As Ruth explained: “We worked hard to bring an album that is full of connection, [that is] textured and melodic but that would also honour our own individual voices and styles.”
Guest musicians on Reverie include Cesar Benzoni (mandolin), Sam Wright (bass and bodhrán), John O’Dwyer (bass), Wil Merrigan (bass), Cormac Dunne (drums), Tom Portman (slide guitar and dobro), Justin McCarthy (slide guitar) and Liam Bradley (drums).
The album was recorded by Ivan O’Shea, with additional recording by Cesar Benzoni, Liam King and Justin McCarthy. Except that is for Juliana’s playing and singing, which she recorded in her own studio.
“It has been a such a rewarding experience, as I composed and recorded all my violin/strings and vocals in my own studio which I have been developing over the last few years,” she said. “I am incredibly proud of how it turned out”.
Award-winning producer Brian Masterson, who has worked with The Chieftains, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson and The Bothy Band, among others, mixed and mastered the album.
For Yvonne, who has worked in the music industry since she was 17, Reverie has been “a lifetime in the making.
“It a joy to be part of a band that works so well together and to have created this collection of music we love is enough”, she said.
Ruth agreed, saying that, for her, what was most special about Reverie, “is the beautiful musical union and friendship built between myself, Yvonne and Juliana”.
The album is available on https://theraines.bandcamp.com from this Friday, March 24, and from selected retailers nationwide.
The Raines will be playing in Monroe’s in Galway City on June 17 for the Galway Folk Festival. On July 29, they will be in Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr, and on September 21, they will be playing at Clifden Arts Festival.
More information and tickets fortheir concerts is available at theraines.ie.
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