Latest news with #ConorMcPherson
RTÉ News
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Live Watch: RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival Gala Awards 2025
All roads lead to Athlone as nine finalist drama groups from all over Ireland battle it out in the finals of the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival, streaming live for the first time from 9pm on Saturday 17th May - watch the Gala Awards Ceremony, presented by Simon Delaney and Nuala Carey, above. The plays included in this year's RTÉ AIDF Final – listed below – include several adaptations for stage, a premiere of an Irish adaptation of a play, two amateur premieres, a farce and a black comedy. With awards for achievements both on and off stage, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Stage Design, the stakes are high to see who will win the coveted Perpetual Trophy and The Abbey Theatre Award. The Finalist Plays Ballycogley Players, directed by Pat Whelan, Lend Me A Tenor by Ken Ludwig. Brideview Drama Group, directed by Jack Aherne, The Weir by Conor McPherson. Bradán Players, directed by Réidín Dunne, Little Gem by Elaine Murphy. Corofin Dramatic Society, directed by John Clancy The Weir by Conor McPherson. Ballyduff Drama Group, directed by Ger Canning, The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibín. Wexford Drama Group directed by Paul Walsh, Skylight written by David Hare. Balally Players, directed by Declan Rudden, Ulster American, written by David Ireland. Bridge Drama, directed by Susan Somers, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens. Newpoint Players, directed by Sean Treanor, Joshua Sobol's 1984 play Ghetto.
New European
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New European
The critics love Chris O'Dowd's new play. They're wrong
The Brightening Air, Conor McPherson's first straight play in 12 years, is a bit of a slow-burner, with a fractious family gathering in the kitchen of their dilapidated old farmhouse and resurrecting old feuds. This seems so familiar an Irish play – think Frank McGuinness's There Came a Gypsy Riding and numerous others – that it seems at first to be almost parodying itself, but gradually the characters begin to make an impression. Chris O'Dowd is very good as an ageing lothario involved in a relationship with a gormless 19-year-old entertainingly played by Aisling Kearns and Sean McGinley acquits himself well, too, as the blind Bible-bashing old patriarch, accidentally mixing up members of his extended family. It ambles along quite entertainingly in the first half as it becomes clear who hates who and why, but the second act gets a bit preposterous. The old patriarch announces that he believes the Devil is now in charge of things and he plans to turn the old farmhouse as a retreat for disillusioned members of his church. For good measure, he also miraculously regains his sight and starts to dress like the late Leslie Phillips, in a natty suit and silk cravat. As the autistic, eccentric Billie, Rosie Sheehy was deferred to by other members of the cast as they took their bows at the end of the first night performance. Apart from one scene where she beat up O'Dowd, she doesn't really dominate the proceedings enough to deserve this honour. This is the sort of play that my fellow critics always think it's important to make a bit of a fuss about. It's attracted five- and four-star reviews and been called 'the finest play of the year'. But, in all honesty, at two and a half hours, it's a bit heavy-going and I am not really sure what it has to say for itself beyond the fact that life can be a bit of a bummer. With someone else directing it other than its writer, I suspect it could have been a lot more focused and amusing.
Irish Independent
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Brendan Gleeson returns to the stage after 10 years to perform at Dublin's Olympia theatre
The show will run from Friday, August 8, to Saturday, September 6, this year at the Olympia Theatre. Gleeson will also make his West End debut when the play hits the stage at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from September 12 to December 6. The Dublin actor began his career in the late 70s with the Passion Machine in Dublin's Project Arts Centre. He has gone on to star in numerous movies, including The Banshees of Inisherin, the Harry Potter series, Paddington 2, and Braveheart. 'Conor McPherson's The Weir is one of the rarest plays around,' the 70-year-old said. 'The last time I appeared on stage was ten years ago, at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, where I started my career. 'I can't wait to be back there, and then to play in the West End for the first time, at the beautiful Pinter Theatre – and to work with Conor on his profoundly moving, inspiring and ultimately hopeful play.' Conor McPherson added: 'I can hardly believe it's thirty years since I wrote The Weir – and about thirty years since I first met the wonderful Brendan Gleeson. 'It's an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting. 'I'm hugely looking forward to directing my play for the very first time and sharing this production with audiences in Dublin and in London very soon.' The Weir centres around the stories shared by four local men who meet a woman in an isolated pub in rural Ireland on a stormy night. It won an Olivier Award when it premiered at the Royal Court in London and has been performed all over the world, including at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2022. 'Along with a multitude of theatregoers, I was spellbound by The Weir when it first premiered at the Royal Court,' Theatrical producer, Kate Horton said. 'I've since been granted three wishes; to have Conor agree to direct his own masterpiece for the first time, for the magnificent Brendan Gleeson to agree to lead the cast, and for the brilliant Anne Clarke to join me as co-producer. 'The Weir is a beautiful play about human connection, the endurance of hope and the essential power of storytelling. It will be a joy to share this production with audiences.' Anne Clarke added: 'I remember where I was when Kate called to tell me she had been working with Conor McPherson on a new production of The Weir, and that Brendan Gleeson had agreed to play Jack. 'I had been lucky enough to work with Brendan before, when he played Dinny in The Walworth Farce at the 3Olympia Theatre alongside his sons Brian and Domhnall, and the thought of working with him on Conor's sublime play was a thrill. 'It promises to be hugely special, and I can't wait for audiences in both Dublin and London to see it.'
Irish Post
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Brendan Gleeson ‘can't wait' to make West End debut in The Weir
IRISH star Brendan Gleeson will make his West End debut in Conor McPherson's The Weir this year. The award-winning actor, who has starred in the likes of The Banshees of Inisherin and Paddington 2, will lead a revival of McPherson's 1997 play, which runs at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin before making its way to the Harold Pinter theatre in London. 'Conor McPherson's The Weir is one of the rarest plays around,' Gleeson said this week. 'The last time I appeared on stage was ten years ago, at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, where I started my career. 'I can't wait to be back there, and then to play in the West End for the first time, at the beautiful Pinter Theatre – and to work with Conor on his profoundly moving, inspiring and ultimately hopeful play.' Brendan Gleeson stars in Conor McPherson's The Weir this year For the first time, McPherson will direct the production of his tale, which centres on four local men who have gathered in a rural Irish pub. All is very ordinary until their lives are disrupted by the arrival of a woman called Valerie. 'I can hardly believe it's thirty years since I wrote The Weir - and about thirty years since I first met the wonderful Brendan Gleeson,' McPherson said. 'It's an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting. 'I'm hugely looking forward to directing my play for the very first time and sharing this production with audiences in Dublin and in London very soon.' The Weir runs at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin from August 8 to September 6, before transferring to the the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End from September 12 to December 6.
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Brendan Gleeson to make his return to the Irish stage
Brendan Gleeson is to make his return to the Irish stage for the first time in a decade in a new production of Conor McPherson's acclaimed play The Weir at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin this August. The Dublin actor will also make his West End debut when the play transfers to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from 12 September to 6 December 2025. The Weir is at 3Olympia Theatre from 8 August to 6 September, with tickets, priced from €25 on sale Saturday 3 May at 12pm. This will be the first time McPherson, who has also written works such as The Brightening Air, Girl from the North Country and the movie I Went Down, will direct the play. The synopsis of The Weir reads, "On a stormy night, four local men gather in an isolated pub in rural Ireland. Their usual banter and everyday lives are disrupted by the arrival of a woman called Valerie. "The stories they weave to impress her are gripping, haunting and deeply unsettling. Little do they know that she has a profoundly personal story of her own, the sharing of which will leave them all shaken." Brendan Gleeson began his acting career in the late seventies with the Passion Project in Dublin's Project Arts Centre and has gone on to star in numerous movies, including The Banshees of Inisherin, In Bruges, Gangs of New York, the Harry Potter movies, Paddington 2, Braveheart, and The General. His TV credits include Mr. Mercedes, A Higher Loyalty, and Into the Storm. Speaking about appearing in The Weir, the actor said, "Conor McPherson's The Weir is one of the rarest plays around. The last time I appeared on stage was ten years ago, at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, where I started my career. "I can't wait to be back there, and then to play in the West End for the first time, at the beautiful Pinter Theatre - and to work with Conor on his profoundly moving, inspiring and ultimately hopeful play." McPherson said, "I can hardly believe it's thirty years since I wrote The Weir - and about thirty years since I first met the wonderful Brendan Gleeson. "It's an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting. I'm hugely looking forward to directing my play for the very first time and sharing this production with audiences in Dublin and in London very soon." Co-producer Kate Horton added, "Along with a multitude of theatregoers, I was spellbound by Conor McPherson's play The Weir when it first premiered at the Royal Court. "I've since been granted three wishes; to have Conor agree to direct his own masterpiece for the first time, for the magnificent Brendan Gleeson to agree to lead the cast, and for the brilliant Anne Clarke to join me as co-producer. "Together, they are titans of Irish and International theatre. The Weir is a beautiful play about human connection, the endurance of hope and the essential power of storytelling. It will be a joy to share this production with audiences." The Weir had a critically acclaimed revival at The Abbey Theatre in 2022, with an ensemble cast featuring Downton Abbey star Brendan Coyle, who featured in the original London production of the show twenty-five years ago.
