Latest news with #AbiMorgan
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Lovesong review: ‘What happens when devoted couples forget to communicate with one another'
Theatre There will always be more to say. More to do, more to share, more to laugh about, when nobody else is around. Time doesn't always work the way we want it to, but in Abi Morgan's soulful, sentimental drama, Lovesong, it flows like a dreamy pop tune, stuck on repeat. Here, past and present co-exist.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Lovesong review: An up-and-down marriage that goes to the very end
Lovesong Gate Theatre, Dublin ★★★★☆ Midway through Lovesong, Abi Morgan's absorbing play, an irritated man takes a dig at his wife. The young couple, relocated to a new country in the 1960s, are at a street party. She suspects he's been flirting with another woman. He accuses her of being a killjoy: 'When did you get old ?' It's a typical insult you might hear from twentysomethings who view themselves as carefree and cool compared with older people ground down by complications. If that's true, his wife has an extremely good explanation: 'When I married you.' [ Lovesong writer Abi Morgan: 'I feel incredibly grateful to be here. It's nearly seven years since Jacob collapsed' Opens in new window ] The irony of the comments isn't lost on the audience. The conceit of Morgan's play is to allow us to also see the couple in their 60s. In one scene young Margaret and William – the excellently paired Zara Devlin and Naoise Dunbar – are inspecting their new house, noticing the starlings that visit their garden. Next we cut to an older version of him dropping a dead bird on the kitchen table: 'The cat got another one.' (To keep things simple, Morgan names the older iterations Maggie and Billy, as a sign of their deepened familiarity with one another.) READ MORE Lovesong: Ingrid Craigie, Zara Devlin, Naoise Dunbar and Nick Dunning. Photograph: Patricio Cassinoni While the young husband and wife are first presented as giddy companions with new adventures before them, an ill Maggie is seen busying around the house, irritated by her husband's helpfulness. A good-natured Billy, played by Nick Dunning with endless charm, ribs his wife with reminders of their friskier days. Maggie is hilariously blunt; watch how ice-cold Ingrid Craigie turns when Billy gives her an iPod. Directed by the choreographer David Bolger, the production occasionally cedes to movement. William runs away with Margaret's shoes, for example, and does forward rolls on the table. More surprising is when past and present seem to collide: Billie catches Margaret's head peeping out of their wardrobe, asking about an outfit; Maggie sees William tumble out of their fridge, leaping on to the kitchen table. (Someone later points out that starlings are great mimics, suggesting the birds surrounding the house may be voicing past events.) There is a lightness of touch as the play charts the unexpected detours of the couple's marriage. ('She's due a baby,' Margaret says, relaying news about a friend, as Devlin's vocal cords sound strangled.) Movement and design don't so much paper over the cracks; Morgan's play is actually quite frictionless. Lovesong: Naoise Dunbar and Zara Devlin. Photograph: Patricio Cassinoni Yet there's something plausible despite how inconsequential these revelations are to the plot. Whether in seeing a wife reluctantly grin at a husband lying about their financial future or a forgiving man embrace his spouse after a betrayal, marriage seems to be about rolling with the punches. Morgan's play is more about getting to the end. In that sense it's reminiscent of the line in Happy Days, Samuel Beckett's authoritative play about long-term relationships, when a wife in a bitter marriage asks her grunting husband, 'Is it not so, Willie, that even words fail, at times?' 'Promise me,' Margaret says, 'we won't become one of those married couples facing one another over a cooling cup of coffee with nothing left to say.' William shrugs: 'Perhaps they said everything.' Lovesong is at the Gate Theatre , Dublin, until Sunday, June 15th
RTÉ News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
RTÉ is Supporting 28 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this May
This May, RTÉ is delighted to support Bealtaine Festival, Fastnet Film Festival, and Dublin Dance Festival, along with 25 other arts and cultural events all over Ireland spanning theatre, film, literature, music, opera, dance, festivals, exhibitions and more. Bealtaine Festival, Ireland's national celebration of the arts and creativity as we age, is celebrating 30 years with events across the month. Fastnet Film Festival will focus on the craft of filmmaking, hosting seminars, workshops and masterclasses with industry experts on all aspects of the film industry. Dublin Dance Festival will feature bold new performances from Irish artists and leading choreographic voices from around the world. Arts and Minds, Maynooth University's annual celebration of the best in Irish and international arts and culture events, will include performances by Irish National Opera and movie screenings with acclaimed directors. Writers, artists and poets will congregate in the beautiful heritage town of Listowe in County Kerry for Writers Week Literary Festival, while Cavan Arts Festival will present a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences in the heart of Cavan Town. The annual island-wide celebration of poetry, Poetry Day Ireland, will also take place on Thursday 1st May, with the theme May Day. A host of music festivals will also take place across the country. In Tipperary, SCS Killaloe Music Festival will take place, in Offaly, Birr Festival of Music will host an array of classical music performances, and Galway Early Music Festival will host concerts, immersive musical journeys, workshops, and a multitude of local and international artists. West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival and Marble City Music Festival in Kilkenny will present a diverse programme of concerts that is sure to delight audiences, and in Waterford, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival will present A Midsummer Night's Dream. Music for Wexford Summer/Autumn Series will commence its annual series of recitals by both Irish and international musicians. Crash Ensemble and Chamber Choir Ireland will present: Jóhann Jóhannsson: Drone Mass in Limerick, Letterkenny and Dublin. In Cork, Cork International Choral Festival and Open Ear music festival will take place. LOVESONG by Abi Morgan will take to the stage at The Gate Theatre, and Dublin International Piano Competition will bring the world's top young pianists to Ireland to compete. There are also a range of exhibitions taking place, from Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone | The Art of Friendship in Dublin's National Gallery, to Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe, Changing Ireland and Dead Zoo at Large, at the National Museum. IMMA Collection: Art as Agency also continues this month. For more information about the events we are supporting this month, check out the websites listed below: Dublin and Cork Forgotten Peoples | Dublin Dublin International Piano Competition | Wexford Music for Wexford Summer/Autumn Series | Kerry Writers Week Literary Festival | Galway Galway Early Music Festival | Dublin Lovesong at The Gate | Dublin Changing Ireland | Dublin Dead Zoo at Large | Nationwide Dublin Abbey Theatre | Every year, RTÉ supports 170 arts and cultural events all over Ireland through the RTÉ Supporting the Arts scheme. Spanning film, music, dance, opera, festivals, literature, theatre and exhibitions, and with dedicated promotion on RTÉ's television, radio and digital services, and extensive support across RTÉ's social channels, the RTÉ Supporting the Arts scheme is a lifeline to Ireland's creative and cultural sectors.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Calling The Split fans! 'Paused' spinoff series gets an exciting update
It's good news for The Split fans, with spinoff series The Split Up reportedly moving forward on production. A spinoff of the popular legal drama was announced by the BBC last February, but in September, Deadline reported that the broadcaster had "paused indefinitely" on the project. In an exciting update, Broadcast Now has now reported that The Split Up is currently in pre-production, with filming due to start this October. Related: The Split Up will be filmed and set in Manchester and, similar to the original series, will follow a family of legal experts: the Kishans. "Kishan Law is a British-Asian high net worth family law firm in Manchester, noted for its clientele and its reputation," the official synopsis states. "They are the 'go to firm' for Manchester's elite, who come to them for their excellence, integrity, and discretion. "But the future and legacy of Kishan Law hangs in the balance when a family secret from the past comes to light, throwing their professional and personal lives into turmoil." Related: The Split creator Abi Morgan is involved with the spinoff series but hasn't penned the script. Instead, Ursula Rani Sarma has written the series – whose recent credits include Sky's dark comedy series Delicious. During an interview with Digital Spy in December last year, Morgan was asked about a possible crossover with The Split and The Split Up, and she didn't rule out the suggestion. "Yeah, I think we're talking about that," she told us. "I think it will be a show that will very much stand on its own, but invariably, it's lovely to have built that audience, and we're excited to see that audience hopefully come to the new version of the show. Who knows?" The Split Up doesn't have a release window on BBC One and BBC iPlayer yet. at at Pandora at at at at at Apple at at at You Might Also Like PS5 consoles for sale – PlayStation 5 stock and restocks: Where to buy PS5 today? IS MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7 THE BEST IN THE SERIES? OUR REVIEW AEW game is a modern mix of No Mercy and SmackDown
