ANYONE asked to open an art exhibition should take a leaf out of Maureen Potter's book. She came along to the Temple Bar Gallery on Monday night to open sculptor Stephen Dee's fascinating exhibition and she really showed the crowded gallery just what the word entertainer really means. At one point in her often hilarious "turn" she had the crowd in the packed gallery merrily singing Laurel and Hardy's signature tune. The applause when she finished was long and sincere - one invitee rightly pointed out that the septegenarian Queen of Variety is our nearest thing to a living national treasure, "except typically we haven't quite realised it yet".
The exhibition is a joint venture between the gallery and the Dublin Theatre Festival and the crowd included NCAD's Noel Sheridan (son of musical hall great Cecil Sheridan), Bruce Arnold and actor Darragh Kelly, currently in starring in previews for Rough Magic's festival offering, Stewart Parker's Northern Star.