Gig of the week: Shirley Valentine
March 29th-April 2nd, The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, from €19
Hello again, wall! Norma Sheahan returns as iconic housewife Shirley, desperate to escape her stifling home life in Willy Russell’s comedy, which had a successful run just before Christmas. Fed up of her humdrum life, her chauvinistic husband and self-centred teenagers, and sick of talking to the wall, Shirley jumps at the chance to go on a Greek holiday with her divorced friend and break free of her domestic chains, if only for a couple of weeks. The play was made into a 1989 film starring Pauline Collins, and here Sheahan, one of Ireland’s leading actors, takes on the Shirley role with gusto and an Irish twist in this production directed by Michael Scott, and with input from Russell himself. “A good dose of Shirley Valentine is what we all need right now,” says Sheahan. “Enough talking to the walls! And if you can’t get on hols yet, Shirley will give you a Greek Boost! Or help you rediscover your clitoris!”
Aurora
March 31st, 3Olympia, ticketmaster.ie
The word “ethereal” was practically created for this Norwegian singer, who has been making music since she was six, and whose beguiling 2015 song Runaway, written when she was just 12, provided inspiration for a young Billie Eilish. Now 25, Aurora is established as a formidable creative force, and she’s heading out on a European tour, with a date in Dublin’s 3Olympia. Listen out for her latest single, Cure for Me, which is all about breaking free from shame and self-doubt. “Sometimes I feel like the whole world Is trying to convince you something is wrong with you,” she says.. “We should be allowed to be human. And we don’t need a cure for it.”
The Examination
March 31st and April 1st, Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, mermaidartscentre.ie; April 7th and 8th, Axis Ballymun, axisballymun.ie; April 12th and 13th, Visual, Carlow, visualcarlow.ie; April 15th, An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk, antain.ie; April 19th, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, paviliontheatre.ie; April 21st, Dráiocht, Blachardstown, draiocht.ie; April 23rd, Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda; April 26th-30th, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, projectartscentre.ie
Comedian Willie White takes on the very serious topics of mental health and human rights in this very personal drama, set within Ireland’s prison system. White, a former prisoner, is joined by Brokentalkers’ Gary Keegan in an award-winning production that draws from the real-life experiences of prisoners serving long sentences in Mountjoy and other correctional facilities. The show, which won an Irish Times Theatre Award for best production and best soundscape, ask difficult questions about crime and punishment, and whether prisoners are entitled to be treated with dignity and to receive treatment for mental health issues. As White’s character says: “I’d like the people to know I’m not an animal. Did I cause harm? Yes. Should I be punished? Of course. But do I deserve my human rights? Absolutely I do.”
Gemma Dunleavy
April 1st, 3Olympia, 7pm, ticketmaster.ie
You’ve rocked to Dubliner Gemma Dunleavy’s 2020 EP Up De Flats, and now’s your chance to join the north inner city massive for this headlining gig at the 3Olympia, a collective celebration of her Sheriff Street birthplace. The EP features the infectious title track along with five other songs chronicling the everyday trials and tribulations of north inner city folk just trying to get along. Dunleavy’s not just a one-trick pony, though; the songwriter and producer has worked with UK duo Swing Ting and with former Cocteau Twins member Simon Raymonde’s Lost Horizons project. Expect the unexpected.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – a Family Opera
April 1st, Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, 7pm, €20/€18, watergatetheatre.ie; April 3rd, Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, Co Meath, 6.30pm, €18/€16, €55 family of four, solsticeartscentre.ie; April 6th, Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick, 6.30pm, €20/€18 (concession), €60 family of four, limetreetheatre.ie; April 8th and 9th, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, 7.30pm, €10 child / €15 adult / €40 family of 4, paviliontheatre.ie
Opera Collective Ireland and the Irish Chamber Orchestra have found the ideal way to lead the whole family down the rabbit-hole into a world of opera, via this lively, jazzed-up reading of Lewis Carroll’s classic, which goes on tour around Ireland from April 1st-9th. Soprano Jessica Hackett stars as Alice in Will Todd’s production, a phantasmagorical mash-up of opera, jazz and blues that has enthralled young audiences since its Opera Holland Park premiere in 2013. This production directed by Caroline Chaney features a young Irish cast playing such beloved characters as the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Caterpillar and the Mad Hatter.
Stormzy
April 1st and 2nd, 3Arena, Dublin, ticketmaster.ie
Straight outta Croydon, Stormzy has established himself as a rap force to be reckoned with, and his ever-loyal fans will be delighted that his Dublin dates can go ahead after being twice rescheduled due to Covid an’ ting. Stormzy grew to prominence the underground way, releasing his influential debut Gang Signs & Prayer and becoming the first British rapper to headline Glastonbury Festival in 2019. His new album, Heavy Is the Head, will get heavy rotation over his two-night stint at 3Arena, and his fierce social conscience is sure to burn as brightly as ever.
