Abbey Birthday in the Abbey Theatre and The Wizard of Oz in the National Concert Hall.

Abbey Birthday
Abbey Theatre
By Gerry Colgan

One of the distinctly better celebrations of the Abbey's centenary year was the production last Monday, for one performance only, of the first four plays ever staged there.

They were performed by amateur companies, who spared no effort to give them the authenticity and colour that enabled one to imagine the excitement of the authors and the anticipation of their audiences.

First came On Baile's Strand by W. B. Yeats, in which the beleaguered warrior unknowingly kills his own son, and is last seen vainly fighting the Atlantic breakers in manic remorse. The only people to emerge with profit are the Fool and a Blind Man, who find in the general distraction an opportunity to scavenge.

Lady Gregory's Spreading the News is a quirky little comedy casting a beady eye on the heights of absurdity that small-town gossip can reach. It is a slight enough piece, but still amusing in its etching of rural stereotypes and their language.

Yeats, again, was next in his parable Kathleen Ni Houlihan, a poet's view of the demands of patriotism on young men, and the devastation caused to them and their kin. An old woman calls on the eve of a wedding, but does not want alms. She wants the bridegroom-to-be, and he goes with her. When last seen, she was young again with the walk of a queen.

The final offering was Synge's In The Shadow of the Glen, a bleak look at a marriage of age and youth that has gone terminally sour. The young wife takes her freedom, and leaves with a journeyman.

A betting critic would have had a decent flutter on Yeats for his words, very little on Lady Gregory, and backed Synge heavily for his dramatic flair and cutting edge. The amateur companies who brought it all to life were the Balally Players, St Patrick's Dramatic Society, Ennis Players and Newpoint Players. They were terrific.

The Wizard of Oz
National Concert Hall
By Gerry Colgan

Show me a person who has not been enchanted by the film The Wizard of Oz and I'll show you a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope. But help is at hand, for here is a live version with all the added impact that the stage can deliver. If our defective friend persists in his obduracy, well off with his head.Who needs him.

So, we're back in Kansas, where Dorothy and her dog Toto are being persecuted by rotten Miss Gulch. Along comes a twister, and they are all blown away to the Land of Oz, where Dorothy is directed along the yellow brick road to consult the great wizard. En route she makes friends with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.

The enormous cast, including a small army of children, has been directed by Vivian Coates with an unerring eye on the original. All the main characters not only look as if they had stepped off the screen, but even speak exactly like their prototypes. There are a few minor variations, particularly in the second half, but aficionados need not be concerned.

The venue is not ideal, bringing with it some limitations in the areas of scenery and lighting. At times, perhaps just a first-night glitch, the amplification made some startling noises. Casting a live dog is an invitation to him to make his mark on stage, which Toto duly did. But I can't continue in this vein.

It would be impossible for a live show to match the legendary performances of the film, but the interaction between stage and audience weaves its own inimitable magic. Go, be bewitched.

Runs to January 3rd