Gritty, suburban drama was served up at the opening of Tallaght's new Civic Theatre on Tuesday, and a host of actors, critics and directors left their city centre cocoon and made the trip down the N81 to see how the other half acts. Surrounded by department stores, cinemas and sportswear shops, the Civic Theatre is a bright, airy auditorium, and its first play, Howie The Rookie, is a claustrophobic two-hander written by Tallaght native Mark O'Rowe and set in a part of Dublin not a million miles away from the bright neon shop signs in the Square.
Among the people in Tallaght was author Deirdre Purcell, who has had to interrupt the writing of her latest novel because the BBC asked her to write a follow-up screenplay to its successful adaptation of her novel, Falling for a Dancer. The star of that serial, actor Liam Cunningham, was also at the opening night. Casting a critical eye over this new suburban stage were playwrights Billy Roche, Bernard Farrell and Jim Nolan, director Michael Scott, playwright and director Mary Elizabeth Burke Kennedy, actors Brid Ni Neachtain, Billie Morton, Donal O'Kelly and Veronica Coburn, artists Bernadette Madden and Mairead Tobin, singer Anne Bushnell and comedian Jason Byrne.
Checking out the competition in the hinterland were Abbey director Patrick Mason, Project's director Fiach MacConghail, and Andrews Lane Theatre director Pat Moylan. Harold Fish of the British Council and Phelim Donlon of the Arts Council were there, along with Councillor John Hannon and academic Gerry Dukes, husband of the Civic Theatre's director, Brid Dukes. She was thrilled that so many luminaries made the daring excursion to deepest Tallaght, and was confident that the Civic Theatre's spring/summer programme would bring the punters out long after opening night. Now theatre-goers can join the shoppers and the cinema buffs, and have a night on the town in Tallaght.
New kids on the block
Some of the country's youngest socialites dragged their parents along to the Red Box on Wednesday, where Boyzone's Ronan Keating and the band's manager, Louis Walsh, were unleashing their latest assault on teenage hormones - five young lads from Dublin and Sligo who call themselves Westlife. Boybands are 10 a penny these days, but there's lots of lolly to be made from the teenypop market, and Walsh reckons his new proteges have the potential to sell millions of records worldwide. BMG Records UK, which has signed up the band, is putting its money where Walsh's mouth is.
Free crisps were on offer at the Red Box as the young fans waited eagerly for Ireland's latest pop sensation to arrive on stage. The older and wiser in attendance were Simon Cowell, head of A&R at RCA (UK), Freddie Middleton, managing director of BMG (Ireland), Dave Shack, director of promotions at BMG (UK) and Sonny Tarkhan, marketing manager at RCA (UK). Also there was Top of the Pops presenter Kate Thornton, who'll no doubt soon be introducing Westlife on the programme when they release their debut single in April.
A large radio contingent was led by the new head of 2FM, John Clarke. He said he hadn't had time to celebrate winning his new post, being too busy running the station and also broadcasting his own Friday night show on 2FM: "I love music, so I hope I never have to give up my Friday night slot." Joining their new boss at the Red Box were broadcasters Dave Fanning and Tony Fenton, and boy-broadcaster Michael `The Kid' Cahill. Producer Jim Lockhart was also celebrating a rock 'n' roll coup - his former band, Horslips, recently won a court battle for the rights to their back catalogue.
Also checking out the young talent was UTV broadcaster Gerry Kelly; designer Ciaran Sweeney; Hazel Kaneswaran, Graham Cruz and Don- ald Ade of Irish pop band Dove; model and singer Tamala Clarke; and Ronan Keating's wife, model Yvonne Keating, who looked commanding in a military-style jacket.
Green with energy
THERE was more rock 'n' roll in store at Dublin Castle on Tuesday, when details of the Heineken Green Energy Festival were announced with a loud peal of drums. The four-day festival of music in the city centre will happen during the May Day bank holiday weekend, and will feature a stellar cast of rock bands, including The Cardigans, Catatonia, The Happy Mondays, The Beautiful South and the provocatively-named Gay Dad.
Launching the proceedings in suitably louche style was Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, who performed at the festival two years ago. Hannon, whose father is the Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher, has been enjoying huge chart success with his current album, Fin De Sie- cle, and recently guested on the Robbie Williams hit, No Regrets, along with Neil Tennant of The Pet Shop Boys.
Hannon has had little time to work on his next album, being too busy trying to buy a house in London, and planning his upcoming Dublin wedding to his fiancee, Orla Little. He is also due to sing a duet with Tom Jones, which Hannon describes as "a scary prospect", and he is soon to contribute to an album of cabaret songs which is being put together by singer Ute Lemper. The album will also feature singer Tom Waits and Hannon's all-time hero, Scott Walker. "I'd love to bribe someone to let me sneak into the studio and watch him record," said Hannon. "Although I wouldn't know what to say to him if I met him." How about "no regrets"?
Another young pop star in attendance was Tara Egan-Langley, singer with Irish group Kaydee. Egan-Langley, who celebrated her 23rd birthday this month, recently raised male hormone levels when she appeared on the cover of Himself magazine. The band, who have had an Irish Top 10 hit with the song, Cradle, are taking a break following their recent headlining slot on the Rollercoaster Tour. Other rock 'n' rollers who sampled a sense of Heineken were Chris Metzler of Setanta Records, Yvonne McMahon of MCMA Management, In Dublin editor Alanna Gallagher and music publisher Johnny Lappin.
A flock of film folk
IT WAS lights, cameras and the promise of plenty of action when the Dublin Film Festival announced its 1999 programme at the Virgin Cinemas on Wednesday. The 14th festival starts rolling on April 15th, and a top cast from the film world is expected to attend the various events, including actors Greta Scacchi, Aidan Quinn, Fiona Shaw, Sir Ian McKellan, who received a Best Actor nomination at this year's Oscars for his role in Gods and Monsters; Irish actor John Lynch, who has starred in Cal and Sliding Doors; directors Bernardo Bertolucci, Neil Jordan and Mike Figgis; and Irish cinematographer Chris Menges, who has worked on The Boxer, Michael Collins and The Mission.
Starring in the launch of the DFF programme were Cathal Black, director of the opening film, Love & Rage, starring Greta Scacchi; John Lynch, director of Night Train, starring John Hurt and Brenda Blethyn; festival programme director Maretta Dillon; festival manager Anne Burke; Alf Smiddy, managing director of Miller, who is one of the sponsors of this year's festival; Trish Long from Buena Vista; Mary Hyland from the Arts Council; and Grainne Humphreys from the Film Institute of Ireland.
Shooting stars
PHOTOGRAPHER Raeanne Rubenstein has been shooting stars for nearly 30 years, and she has amassed an enviable gallery of celebrity rogues, rockers, athletes and movie stars. Rubenstein's legendary subjects have included John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Jimi Hendrix, Stephen King, Andy Warhol, Robin Williams, Hunter S. Thompson, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison and Muhammad Ali. On Thursday night, photos of many of these stars were on show at Ronnie Norton's gallery in Creighton Street, near the site of the old Windmill Lane recording studios, for the opening of Rubenstein's Dublin exhibition.
The artist herself flew over to Dublin from her home in Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Irish Professional Photographers Association. "I'm having a wonderful time," said Rubenstein. "I've only been here for three days, but it doesn't take long to have fun in Dublin. I've been shopping, visiting galleries, taking trips to Newgrange and Glendalough, and of course taking pictures as well."
Rubenstein began snapping celebrities in New York in the early 1970s, taking her camera to rock concerts while she was still a student. "I was just looking for a way to get free passes into concerts," she said.
Soon, Rubenstein was getting her pictures published in magazines such as Rolling Stone and Life, and developing life-long friendships with her famous subjects. "John Lennon and Yoko Ono came to my studio in 1972," she recalls. "They came by themselves, with no entourage, not even a stylist. Yoko did John's hair and make-up, and the session turned out wonderful. Afterwards, Yoko invited me to a dinner party where I had sushi for the first time."
Ask Rubenstein which was her most memorable session, and she is diplomatic: "I don't think there was one session that wasn't memorable. They're each such unique personalities."
Although she has caught many famous people on camera, there are still a few stars she would dearly like to photograph. "Madonna is one person who has eluded me up to now. I'd love to do a photo session with Bono - something very Irish, out in the countryside. I'm also fascinated by Irish filmmakers, and I'm intrigued by that sibling rivalry between Boyzone and B*Witched. I'd like to photograph the brother and two sisters in the bands."
Campus capers
WHEN young writer Brian Langan launched his first novel, Light in the Head, on Tuesday, he decided to go back to his roots - the Campus Bookshop at University College Dublin. The author used to work in the bookshop during his student years, but luckily it didn't dull his imaginative edge. The launch provided an unexpected opportunity to relive our student days: a shortage of taxis meant that we had to travel by that noble college chariot, the Number 10 bus.
After wandering aimlessly around the campus (another traditional activity which we won't go into here), we finally located the bookshop in time to hear UCD's Prof Declan Kiberd address the gathering, complimenting Langan's opening: "This book begins with an orgasm!" He pointed out that the book's expression of male feelings of anxiety due to not being able to give birth was also a chosen theme of James Joyce. Light in the Head, a sci-fi thriller about a baby with magical powers, is published by Poolbeg Press, and was one of the last works to be commissioned by Kate Cruise O'Brien before her untimely death. Langan paid tribute to Cruise O'Brien, calling her a great champion of young Irish writers, and also to his wife, Marie Langan and their baby son, Christopher - who provided part of the inspiration for the book while he was still a twinkle in his father's eye.