By Paddy McCarthy
Did everybody have a nice Easter? I am sure you did. I must say it this one of my best as we had my daughter Christina and her husband Kevin over for dinner along with my son James and my sister in-law Stephanie. What was on the menu? Well it was Prime Rib
, cooked to perfection with all the trimmings. Why am I telling you all this? Because it’s not that often that we have so many for dinner and in a nice atmosphere like Easter Sunday. Now that I got almost the whole family in, I am going to let you in to a few shows that are coming up.This Saturday I am invited to attend a performance of Two By Synge: In The Shadow Of The Glen & The Tinker’s Wedding by John Millington Synge, at The Irish Rep. Directed by Charlotte Moore, Two By Synge will run until May 22nd on the W. Scott McLucas Studio Stage, with an opening night set for April 24th. I can see by the cast this is going to be sensational. The story goes like this: In the Shadow of the Glen opens in the midst of a storm as a Tramp seeking lodging for the night finds the downtrodden young Nora Burke preparing an impromptu wake. Her lay about husband Dan has died suddenly, but not without cursing Nora that none should touch his body. Nora and the Tramp share supernatural tales and dream of what life could be, but when Nora leaves to call for the young neighbor Michael, we learn that there is more to the story. Is all as it seems?
Sarah Casey, the Beauty of Ballinacree, has aspirations to be married by a priest to the tinker Michael Byrne in The Tinker’s Wedding. But his mother, the “old flagrant heathen” Mary Byrne, has other ideas. The boisterous Mary steals Sarah’s hard-earned savings to spend on a pint, and the two scuffle as the wedding day dawns. When the priest can’t be paid the shilling and tin can he has been promised, Sarah turns her wrath on Mary, and we begin to wonder if the pagan rituals of peasants aren’t perhaps more honorable than the behavior of a corrupt priest.
Two by Synge pairs early masterpieces by John Millington Synge, inspired by the stories he heard and witnessed while living among poor Irish peasants (at the behest of none other than WB Yeats) at the turn of the twentieth century. Synge celebrates the hardscrabble lives of country people, especially the headstrong and powerful women. The cast of Two by Synge will include Ciaran Bowling (Les Misérables), Terry Donnelly (The O’Casey Cycle), Sean Gormley (Kingfishers Catch Fire), John Keating (The O’Casey Cycle) and Jo Kinsella (Dancing at Lughnasa) with scenic design by Daniel Geggatt (Crackskull Row), costume design by David Toser (The O’Casey Cycle), lighting design by Michael O’Connor (A Girl is a Half-formed Thing), and original music and sound design by Nathanael Brown (The Regime is Female). Christine Lemme (On Beckett) is the production stage manager.
Here we have a very nice concert that I am sure you will really appreciate: The New York Tenors featuring Andy Cooney, Daniel Rodriguez and Christopher Macchio make their appearance at The Landmark Theatre (232 Main Street, Port Washington) this Sunday at 2 pm. This will be a fabulous Sunday afternoon if you all can make it. Experience the memorable music, moments and magic of New York, as the vocal artistry of Andy Cooney, Daniel Rodriguez and Christopher Macchio take audiences on a truly entertaining journey through the Greatest City in the World – New York, New York! Tickets are $45 and $55 and can be ordered by phone at (718) 423- 8394 or online at www.ticketor.com/sfentertain.
I did mention this in the last issue in our music page but just want to remind you to book early because it’s going to be a sell out! The 45th East Durham Irish Festival will be held this Memorial Day Weekend (May 28th and 29th). Greene County, with its farms, rolling hills, green pastures, stone walls & mountains is one of the most beautiful areas in Upstate NY. The Irish have been drawn to this area for many years as it reminds them of home. There’s a town about 10 miles northwest of Catskill, NY called East Durham. Since the 1930’s the Irish have been gathering in East Durham to celebrate their music and heritage. Back in 1978 all the local businesses came together to present the 1st East Durham Irish Festival. Thanks to Otto Molter and his family, he allowed them to use his field to launch this great event.
A few years later, The East Durham Vacationland, the main business association at the time in East Durham, purchased the land on Route 145, the main highway that travels right through East Durham, to make the permanent home for The East Durham Irish Festival. It is now owned and operated by The Michael J Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre. This year it marks its 45th Anniversary. Andy Cooney, who has filled Carnegie Hall nine times and has been a featured performer at the festival for the last 35 years has stepped up to direct operations of the festival along with a resident of Greene County from Limerick Ireland, Seamus Balfe. They have brought a lot of new ideas and energy to the event. The headline act is The Narrowbacks, a well-known band from the Bronx that recently has recently played support for The Dropkick Murphy’s. The Young Dubliners will be coming directly from Los Angeles, California and world-class Irish tenor Ronan Tynan will also perform. There will be 25 bands and performers altogether! Tickets and more information can be found at EDIrishFest.com.
I hope to see you all there, as I will be there too. In the meantime I hope to see you all next week when I am Out&About again…