Latest news with #TheBrighteningAir
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Rick O'Shea: One of America's smartest political minds makes a brave admission about Israel
Ta-Nehisi Coates admits he has a problem with an article he wrote in 2014 in The Message, while Seán Hewitt's Open, Heaven feels like a classic and What a Time to be Alive by Jenny Mustard will appeal to Sally Rooney fans Today at 21:30 Don't ever let anyone tell you that turning 50 is hard; turning 50 is a doddle. For me, it involved an eight-month series of arm-chancing trips to New York, Portugal and Iceland after I made sad puppy eyes at my impossibly lovely and soft-hearted wife. This week I turned 52, an age that is so unremarkable it seems pointless to mention it, let alone celebrate it. That has never stopped me before. I went to London and thoroughly enjoyed Conor McPherson's new play The Brightening Air at the Old Vic, was baffled but sort of entertained anyway by Here We Are, Stephen Sondheim's last musical – or half a musical if you want to be accurate – at the National Theatre, and I finally got to see the joyfully fun and incredibly complicated staging of My Neighbour Totoro.
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Most iconic theatres in London
Overview of London's theatre scene The many extraordinary London theatre venues are a major reason why people love residing in or visiting the city. As well as hosting world-leading plays, musicals, comedies and family entertainment, many theatres are also significant architectural gems on their own. There are around 250 theatres in London, the most famous of which are clustered in the city centre, known as the West End. A comprehensive London theatre map would extend out to the far reaches of the capital, but the major London theatre district – what we would consider 'Theatreland' – is based around the Oxford Street to Piccadilly area. Many of the names of London theatres reflect their historic standing or royal approval, while others have been renamed in honour of great actors or artists – such as the Harold Pinter Theatre or the Gielgud Theatre. Sometimes the London theatre address also handily corresponds with its name, like the Shaftesbury Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. Follow our guide to some of the most iconic theatres in London. The enormous London Palladium often hosts large-scale musicals, including the upcoming revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, starring Rachel Zegler. Location: Argyll Street, London W1, close to Oxford Circus Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: Evita Apollo Victoria Theatre The Apollo Victoria Theatre is home to the West End's hit musical Wicked, which has played there since 2006. Location: Wilton Road, London SW1V, close to Victoria Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: Wicked Venue capacity: 2,328 London Coliseum The London Coliseum regularly stages both opera and musicals. The current show is the musical adaptation of classic Jazz Age novel The Great Gatsby. Location: St Martin's Lane, London WC2N, close to Leicester Square Tube station. Adelphi Theatre Popular mid-sized West End venue the Adelphi Theatre has been home to the jaw-dropping musical version of Back to the Future since 2021. Location: Strand, London WC2R, close to Charing Cross Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: Back to the Future South London theatres Shakespeare's Globe The Globe is an extraordinary reconstruction of an outdoor Elizabeth playhouse, allowing you to experience what it was originally like to watch a Shakespeare play. Location: New Globe Walk, London SE1, close to Southwark Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: Romeo and Juliet Buy tickets via Telegraph Tickets Venue capacity: 1,570 Old Vic The Old Vic is renowned for its varied, often star-studded programming, such as its newest show: the world premiere of Conor McPherson's play The Brightening Air. Location: The Cut, London SE1, close to Waterloo Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: The Brightening Air Buy tickets via Telegraph Tickets Young Vic The Old Vic's neighbour, the Young Vic, is a leading venue for cutting-edge work such as current show An Oak Tree, in which Tim Crouch is joined by a different actor every night. Location: The Cut, London SE1, close to Waterloo station. Current/upcoming shows: An Oak Tree National Theatre The National Theatre hosts an incredible array of work in three very different performance spaces. Currently you can watch Stephen Sondheim's final musical Here We Are. Location: Upper Ground, London SE1, close to Waterloo Tube station. Buy tickets via Telegraph Tickets London arts centres Royal Albert Hall The iconic Royal Albert Hall is home to everything from the BBC Proms to pop concerts, comedy and dance – such as Christmas ballet favourite The Nutcracker. Current/upcoming shows: The Nutcracker Royal Opera House Both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet are based at the Royal Opera House, which produces world-leading work such as the current production of Bizet's Carmen. Location: Bow Street, London WC2E, close to Covent Garden Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: Carmen Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre has a striking, contemporary theatre space where plays and musicals are staged – including the Olivier Award-winning revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Location: Silk Street, London EC2, close to Barbican Tube station. Current/upcoming shows: Fiddler on the Roof FAQs Where are the theatres in London? London has numerous theatres spread all around the city. However, most of the big commercial theatres are gathered in the centre of the capital in what is known as the West End, close to Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Piccadilly and Oxford Street. How many theatres are there in London? There are around 250 theatres altogether – with new venues opening all the time, including pop-up spaces. Around 40 theatres are classified as West End venues, which attract enormous audiences: in 2024, more than 17.1 million theatregoers went to a West End show. What is the biggest theatre in London? Many West End theatres have huge auditoriums: for example, the London Coliseum seats 2,359 and the Apollo Victoria seats 2,328. However, the Royal Albert Hall beats them all by capacity, with an astonishing 5,272 seats. What is the oldest London theatre? That title belongs to one of the grandest of all West End buildings. The majestic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, on Catherine Street, has remained in use since it opened in 1663. It is currently owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and it recently underwent an impressive £60 million restoration and refurbishment. What is the best theatre to go to in London? All of the city's historic theatres are well worth a visit, as much for their beautiful architecture and heritage as for the fantastic shows that they host. You can even take a tour of some venues, such as Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre, to learn more about them.
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.
Time Out
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Brendan Gleeson will make his West End debut in Conor McPherson's chilling classic ‘The Weir'
One of the greatest character film actors of his generation, you'll know Brendan Gleeson for a million screen things, from Braveheart to the Harry Potter films, and most especially his two classic works with Martin McDonagh and Colin Farrell, In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin. He started off as a stage actor in Dublin in the '80s and has periodically returned to the Irish theatre ever since, albeit sparingly. And indeed, he'll do so this summer as he stars in a revival of Conor McPherson's all-time classic chiller The Weir about a group of lost souls telling ghost stories in an isolated Irish pub. This new production will debut at Dublin's 3Olympia Theatre in August, and then move on the Harold Pinter Theatre in September for what will, astonishingly, be his West End debut. It will be part of a remarkable year for McPherson: probably Ireland's most important living playwright, not a lot had been heard from him in recent years. But in 2025 he's back with an acclaimed new play at the Old Vic (The Brightening Air), a revival for his hit Dylan musical Girl from the North Country (also at the Old Vic), he's written the text for the much anticipated stage version of The Hunger Games, and not only is The Weir back but he's directing it this time (as he did with The Brightening Air and Girl from the North Country). It's quite the year to be having and it has to be said there's a little something for everyone here, but if you want a stone cold spooky-but-lyrical classic with a towering famous actor at the start of it then The Weir could be the place for you to start.
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Brendan Gleeson to return to the stage for the first time in 10 years in Conor McPherson's play The Weir
Brendan Gleeson is to act on stage for the first time in a decade in Dublin this August, in a new production of The Weir, the play written – and now, for the first time, directed – by Conor McPherson . After its four-week run at the 3Olympia Theatre ends, on September 6th, the show, which is being staged by Landmark Productions and Kate Horton Productions, will transfer to London for a 12-week run that will be Gleeson's West End debut. The actor, who describes The Weir as profoundly moving, inspiring and ultimately hopeful – 'one of the rarest plays around' – began acting in theatre but is now better known for his screen performances, from In Bruges to his Oscar-, Bafta- and Golden Globe-nominated role in The Banshees of Inisherin. 'The last time I appeared on stage was 10 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 .' READ MORE That Olympia production, also staged by Landmark, was of Enda Walsh's The Walworth Farce , in 2015. Gleeson appeared in it with his sons Brian and Domhnall. McPherson's 1997 play, which is set over an evening in a rural pub in Co Leitrim, sees the regulars interrupted by a young woman recently arrived from Dublin. They share stories with her – about folklore, ghosts and fairies – and she tells her own melancholy tale. The Weir won an Oliver Award for best new play after premiering at the Royal Court in London; it opened on Broadway in 1999. It has since been performed all over the world, including at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2022. 'It's an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting,' McPherson says. The writer's new play, The Brightening Air , has just opened in London, with a predominantly Irish cast, to strong reviews. [ The Brightening Air at the Old Vic review: Conor McPherson's outstanding new play turns convention on its head Opens in new window ] Anne Clarke of Landmark , one of Ireland's leading theatre producers, says she got involved after Horton called to say that she had been 'working with McPherson on a new production of The Weir' and that 'Brendan Gleeson had agreed to play Jack. They were hoping the production would open in Dublin, ahead of a West End run. I had been lucky enough to work with Brendan before.' The thought of working with him 'on Conor's sublime play was a thrill'. Horton, a producer of more than 100 world premieres, with awards that include a Pulitzer, Tony and Olivier, says she was 'spellbound' at the premiere of McPherson's play and couldn't have wished for more for the writer 'to agree to direct his own masterpiece for the first time' and 'for the magnificent Brendan Gleeson to agree to lead the cast'. Tickets for the Irish run go on sale on Saturday, May 3rd.
