Ralph Fiennes, star on stage
Celeb watchers in Dublin should keep their eyes peeled in the coming weeks, and more cultured types should get their credit cards out to book theatre tickets. Fresh from playing Lord Voldemort in the latest Harry Potter movie, Hollywood star Ralph Fiennes will soon be treading the boards at the Gate Theatre. He'll be taking on the role of healer Frank Hardy in Brian Friel's Faith Healer. But if you'd like to catch a glimpse of Fiennes in the flesh, then you'd better hurry: tickets are selling fast. There's a lot more to this production than mere star-gazing, however: the play is a revival of a critically acclaimed 2001 production directed by Jonathan Kent, former artistic director of London's Almeida Theatre, and it also stars the stage veteran Ian McDiarmid as Hardy's manager, Teddy. McDiarmid you may recognise as the evil emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. Hardy's spouse, Grace, is played by the renowned Irish stage actor Ingrid Craigie. The play itself is one of Friel's masterpieces; it tells the story of an Irish healer about to return home after a lifetime travelling through Scotland and Wales. Previews on February 2nd, 3rd and 6th; opens on Tuesday, February 7th. Tickets €29/31, previews €18, matinees €24. Phone 01-8744045 or 01-8746042. Eimear McKeith