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I have never heard a silence more deafening than the final moments of Asking for It. The world stopped in a moment of horror and icy realism, like a brutal slap. The actor who played the lead had us choked quietly with her words and her pale complexion against the darkened set.

I was terrified, and I wasn’t the only one. The room erupted in a burst of raw emotion as the audience fell apart. When the lights came on, The Gaiety Theatre was a sea of desperate humans clinging to each other, shoulders shaking and tears streaming.

It's safe to say that Asking for It was one of the most powerful pieces of art I have ever experienced. I say experienced because this play is not something you simply see. It’s something you feel and hear, inside and out as you watch. It is immersion of the most immersive, and it buries you alive until you can’t think of anything else.

I had read the book, so I felt like I was prepared for the harrowing tale of Emma, the teenager from a fictional rural Irish town, obsessed with her image and social status. I was prepared for her story, the crude public sexual assault she experiences and her little town’s inability to deal with it.

Image result for asking for it book

Louise O'Neill's novel had floored me, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing it brought to life.

The play is a magnificent jigsaw of elements that create an eerily close-to-home picture. The kitchen where her family sit and watch their lives fall apart is alive with Irishness, the sound of rain smashing against the windows and the white noise of the radio humming angrily in the background.

The school scenes are beyond accurate: lads flinging dirty white footballs overhead and girls draped over each other with a familiarity that only the Irish school system could inspire. A recording of the protagonist's inner monologue- Cork accent and all- coupled with a harsh spotlight on her pale face, meant there was no escape for the spectator.

We lived and breathed Emma and her world for 2 hours and 55 minutes.

Photo: The Gaiety Theatre

Emma’s story is about all of us. It’s about every single Irish girl who wore an itchy uniform and sat on walls with boys in football jerseys. About mothers and fathers who react the only way they know how when their child is brought so low. Every person in the room could seem themselves on stage in some shape or form. Each glance, stare and comment by the characters was all too familiar.

Asking for It is a brave, raw and uncomfortable piece of art that everyone should see.

The play will run in the Gaiety Theatre until Saturday, October 26. There are still tickets available here.

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Good news for fans of Coppers.

The fantastic Copper Face Jacks The Musical has added another couple of dates due to popular demand.
So if you didn't see it the first time round, you're  in luck.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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It's a musical that just got us – because it's so relatable and sure who hasn't been to Coppers?

It toured around Ireland in the summer of 2018, and was met with rave reviews.

And now it's hitting the stage again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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In a press release announcing the comeback, it said, ''Packed full of craic, huge laughs, culchies, Dubs, lots of shifting and a stellar cast, COPPER FACE JACKS: THE MUSICAL is set to be the smash hit of the summer all over again as extra dates have just been added due to phenomenal public demand."

The show will be in  the Olympia Theatre from July 10 and will run until 10 August 2019.

Tickets are going from €26 (plus booking fee and €1 restoration levy) for the extra dates and they are on sale NOW.

Nab a ticket at Ticketmaster outlets nationwide or here

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Grab your gals, your Ma and your aunties, because the feel-good musical MAMMA MIA! will return to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin for a four week run from December 10 2019 – January 5 2020 as part of a UK and International Tour celebrating 20 years since MAMMA MIA! premiered in London in April 1999.

From West End to global phenomenon, MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs with a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads unfolding on a Greek island idyll.

To date, it has been seen by over 60 million people in 50 productions in 16 different languages. 

In 2011 it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China.  

MAMMA MIA! became the 8th longest running show in Broadway history where it played a record-breaking run for 14 years. MAMMA MIA! continues to thrill audiences in London’s West End at the Novello Theatre where it will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on April 6 2019.

The hugely successful first International Tour premiered in Dublin in September 2004 and visited 85 cities across 38 countries, selling over 5 million tickets over nine years.

Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008.  A second film, MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, opened in July 2018 and is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time.

Judy Craymer, Creator and Producer of MAMMA MIA!, said: “We are very excited that MAMMA MIA! will be returning to Dublin once again. It is a big year for the show as we celebrate 20 years in the West End and we are so thrilled that Dublin will be a part of the celebrations. We can’t wait to bring the feel-good story and much-loved music of ABBA back to the wonderful audiences in Dublin.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast.

The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.

 The MAMMA MIA! UK and International Tour is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal and NGM.

Tickets are priced from €25 to €65 and will go on sale on Friday, March 8.

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If you're an Irish person, you know Clery's.

The iconic department store, which called O'Connell street home for 162 years, takes centre stage in a new play called Before.

Kicking off in the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, the play will be running in various theatres around Ireland.

The storyline is as follows: It is the day the iconic department store shuts for good.

Pontius is inside, trying to choose a gift for his estranged daughter, who he hasn't seen for almost 20 years. 

He will meet her in an hour. 

This father’s journey is both beautiful and strange, from the isolation of his Midlands home to the madness of O’Connell Street. 
Some folk are impossible to buy for…

Before, directed by Jim Culleton, has been commissioned by Fishamble: The New Play Company. 

This is Pat Kinevane's first solo play and will premiere next month and it is deffo a must-see. 

And sure, who doesn't love a bitta culture?

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It’s been less than 24 hours since I went to see Coppers: The Musical and I am itching to see it again. Have I been on the Olympia’s website for the past 15 minutes umming and ahhing about buying tickets? Possibly…

I have to admit I wasn’t expecting much from the musical, mainly because of my limited love for Coppers and it’s sticky floors, overpriced drink and love for cheesy pop music, but boy was I pleasantly surprised.

My stomach hurt from laughing so much, my cheeks ached from smiling and Maniac 2000 will be forever stuck in my head.

The show follows the love story between Kerry girl Noleen who moves from small town  Cahersiveen to Dublin and GAA player and clamper Gino Wildes.

The musical features comical songs about working for the VHI and gay GAA players-that will be stuck in your head forever, but most importantly, Coppers will leave you feeling oddly proud about Ireland and our unique cliches.

The cast really won me over, especially Noleen’s hopeless fiance Mossy and his side-splitting performance. They're a genuinely talented group of people and certainly deserve a standing ovation each night.

The show is silly and witty, and serious fans of the theatre may call it foolish, but Coppers: The Musical is full of heart. 

It’ll brighten your day and leave you yearning to go to the over-crowded club on Harcourt Street with hopes of finding your very own Noleen(t) or Gino.

Kudos to Paul Howard, Karl Harpur and the entire cast of Copper Face Jacks: The Musical.

Do yourself a favour and go see this joy of a musical. It’s too good to miss.

Copper Face Jacks: The Musical runs in the Olympia until Sunday, August 12.

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There’s something so glamorous about a night out at the theatre, whether you’re going to see a serious production of a well-loved classic or a witty show at your local theatre.

We must admit that seeing a musical at the theatre is one of life’s simple pleasures, so it's time to pop on your dancing shoes and break out those 80s dance moves as Whitney- Queen of the Night is coming to Irish theatres.

The electrifying show will make its way to The Waterfront Hall, Belfast on January 16 and will then head to Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on January 17, 2019.

Whitney Houston’s music lives on in this captivating theatre show consistently receiving standing ovations and rave reviews.

Whitney – Queen of the Night is a stunning celebration of the music and life of one of the greatest singers of our time. This award-winning production features a sensational line-up of musicians and artists, with a powerhouse and breathtaking performance from rising West End star Shanice Smith as Whitney.

Taking us on a magical rollercoaster ride through three decades of classic hit’s, Shanice, winner of Brit Idol and a graduate of the world famous Brit School (where the likes of Adele and Leona Lewis cut their teeth), has triumphed in the role and has astounded audiences wherever she plays.
 

Beautifully remembering the most highly awarded female artiste in the world ever, the music of Whitney Houston has touched most of us at some time in our lives. With hits that include, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, One Moment In Time, I’m Every Woman, My Love is Your Love, So Emotional Baby, Run to You, Saving All My Love, I Will Always Love You, and many more.

Share her life and get ready for the greatest love of all in Queen of the Night!

Tickets from €29 including booking fee go on sale this Friday, June 22.

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New York had Studio 54, Paris has The Moulin Rouge and Manchester had The Hacienda but ALL of Ireland has Copper Face Jacks and now this Club Of Clubs is getting its very own all-singing, all-dancing musical.

The producers of ANGLO: The Musical are proud to present the world premiere of Paul Howard’s latest comedy masterpiece, Copper Face Jacks: The Musical. 

Opening in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on Thursday 5th Of July, Copper Face Jacks: The Musical is a celebration of a club that started out life as something of a Culchie Embassy in Dublin.

It has since been embraced by its home city, because regardless of your county colours you’ll always find a welcome (and a slow-set plus a nurse…and if you're lucky both together) in the club that has become synonymous with having a good time for three generations of Irish night clubbers. 

Copper Face Jacks: The Musical is written by Ross O’Carroll Kelly creator Paul Howard and is a love story set on the eve of a Dublin Kerry All Ireland Final, when a sweet Kerry girl, who’s moved to the big smoke for her dream job in The VHI, ends up falling head over her flat-shoes with a true blue Dublin team member.

Can love conquer all as these two young sweethearts face massive cultural and linguistic hurdles on their road to happiness/Croker? Only time, some great tunes, a cast of puppets and a bunch of cloakroom tickets will tell.

Speaking about the show Paul said, “Once you hear the name Copper Face Jacks: The Musical it’s impossible not to want to make it happen. We’ve been talking about it for a few years now so it’s brilliant to think in just a few months it will be up and running. I hope we can do this very special venue justice…whilst I also secretly dream of a day when this work is on the Leaving Certificate”.

Copper Face Jacks: The Musical is the second in Paul Howard’s trilogy of puppet based musicals, with his third Dermot Bannon: The Opera due to open in a soon to be built Bannon designed glass box extension on The Abbey Theatre sometime in 2023. 

Copper Face Jacks: The Musical is produced by Kite Entertainment and Verdant Productions in association with the Olympia Theatre. Original Concept Created by Darren Smith with Paul Howard. Producers will announce the cast in the coming months.

Tickets from €28 plus booking fee will go on sale this Friday 2 March 2018 from Ticketmaster.ie.

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Picture Fifty Shades of Grey reimagined to take place in a North Dublin dole office, with a central character named Maggie Muff, and you get a good idea of how funny the latest comedy to hit Irish theatre is.

Based on a spoof blog inspired by E.L. James’ best-selling erotic series, 51 Shades of Maggie tells the story of the unlucky-in-love Maggie, who is convinced she has found “the one” in the form of Mr. Big after a chance meeting in the dole office where he works.

But while Maggie couldn’t be more “delira” to have bagged herself a man, things turn sour when she is introduced to his “private room of pain”.

While its course language and vulgar sexual references have raised eyebrows as well as rapturous laughter from its audience, it is actress Emma Barry’s hilarious portrayal of Maggie’s complicated love life that has thrilled theatre-goers.

Speaking to Shemazing! Emma puts the show’s success down to its brash honesty and sheer hilarity: “It’s vulgar but the humour takes the vulgarity out of it….I’ve had people in the audience who are laughing so hard, I’ve thought they were going to collapse.”

But while we can all have a giggle at Maggie’s commentary on Mr Big’s penchant for S&M, Emma admits that the show’s popularity can also be attributed to how it pushes the boundaries regarding how women talk about sex.

“If a man was doing this show, people wouldn’t blink an eye,” says Emma. “Women do talk about sex. Like, it’s not the 1800s anymore! Maybe they don’t use the same language as Maggie, but they do go on about it the same way as she does in the show.”

Sounds like a very interesting show!

51 Shades of Maggie runs in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre from 7th – 11th October.

 

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