Latest news with #musicaltheatre
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Charles Strouse obituary
Like his fellow Broadway composers Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, Charles Strouse, who has died aged 96, had a classical music education. But his breakthrough hit – for which he won his first Tony award – with lyrics by his early career collaborator, Lee Adams, was Bye Bye Birdie (1960), a satirical take on the new teenage culture of rock'n'roll, with reference to the kerfuffle surrounding Elvis Presley's call up to the US army. His biggest hit of all, though, and the first without lyrics by Adams, was the uplifting Depression-era musical Annie (1977), based on the cartoon strip little orphan girl melting the heart of billionaire Daddy Warbucks. The show ran on Broadway for over 2,300 performances, and for more than three-and-a-half years at the Victoria Palace in London, and was made into a film in 1982. Mike Nichols's production of Annie had lyrics (and direction) by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan. Strouse's punchy, irresistible score, for which he won his third Tony award, included several songs that have entered the musical theatre pantheon: Annie's indomitably optimistic Tomorrow, the upbeat, rhythmic orphanage lament It's the Hard-Knock Life (later sampled by Jay-Z for a single in 1998) and the equally upbeat suggestion that You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile, an appropriate placebo – in musical theatre terms, at least – for child poverty and misery. The whole was feelgood to an extent that would be unbearable without Strouse's sly, plangently melodic, beautifully crafted songs and the occasional high-quality belter. As in the standout song of Bye Bye Birdie (the 'Elvis' hero was named Conrad Birdie, played on the London stage in 1961 by Marty Wilde), Put on a Happy Face (sung by Birdie's promoter and played on Broadway and in the 1963 movie by Dick Van Dyke), Strouse operated in a pre-Sondheim non-ironic world of musical theatre escapism. Birdie won him his first Tony. He was born in New York, growing up on the Upper West Side, the son of Ira Strouse, a travelling salesman, and his wife, Ethel (nee Newman), and was educated at a Manhattan prep school, Townsend Harris Hall in the city, and the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York, graduating in 1947. He won two scholarships to the Tanglewood summer festival and music centre in Massachusetts, where he studied with Aaron Copland. Copland then arranged a further scholarship for him with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Although he wrote many orchestral works, including a piano concerto and an opera for children, Nightingale (seen at the Lyric Hammersmith in London in 1982, with Sarah Brightman, fresh from Cats, delivering an astonishing vocal performance of coloratura trills and soaring melodic lines) based on a moral fable by Hans Christian Andersen, he found his musical theatre groove after meeting Adams at a New York party in 1949. The duo started by writing songs for summer revues in the lakeside resorts of the Adirondacks and developed this work through the 50s in off-Broadway revues and cabarets with writers including Neil Simon, Vernon Duke and Ogden Nash. Their second musical, All American (1962), was a flop, though it contained a poignant, lyrical ballad about lost love, Once Upon a Time, which was recorded by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett and sung by Bob Dylan among others. The show had a book by Mel Brooks, who took from the debacle the germ of an idea for an intentionally disastrous musical that is a fluke triumph. His movie masterpiece The Producers, containing the calculatedly tasteless-as-possible hit show Springtime for Hitler, appeared in 1967. After Annie, there was a string of flops and a misguided sequel to the first hit. Bring Back Birdie (1981) closed after just four performances on Broadway. It should have been called 'Bye Bye, Bye Bye Birdie'. Similarly, a famous flop with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Dance a Little Closer (1983), shuttered on the same night as it opened, having been dubbed during previews 'Close a Little Sooner'. That followed on the heels of another failure, Charlie and Algernon (1980, lyrics by David Rogers) which was presented – as Flowers for Algernon – in the West End by the producer Michael White in the previous year. It lasted barely three weeks at the Queen's (now Sondheim). Despite these setbacks, Strouse's reputation remained, and remains, secure. He and Adams provided Sammy Davis Jr with a spectacular leading role as a prize-fighting boxer escaping from the Harlem ghetto in Golden Boy (1964) – best song, This Is the Life – directed by Arthur Penn and based on a 1937 play by Clifford Odets. It ran for nearly two years on Broadway and was the first musical produced at the London Palladium (in 1968) when Davis Jr reprised the role for a three-month run. In 1965, Strouse provided a clever, quasi-rocky score for Hal Prince's production of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! (lyrics by Adams, book by David Newman and the film director Robert Benton – who later wrote the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie). And in 1970, Lauren Bacall headed the duo's Applause, accurately based on the movie All About Eve, with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, for which Strouse won his second Tony. Bacall was younger and more supple as Margo Channing than Bette Davis in the movie, and in London, at the Her (now His) Majesty's in 1972, the show had a solid 11-month run with Angela Richards superb as the aspirant, dethroning lead Eve Harrington. In the same year, in London, Strouse and Adams launched a spectacular musical starring Polly James as Queen Victoria, I and Albert, at the Piccadilly, directed by John Schlesinger, but this was a seriously skewed fiasco, managing just 120 performances, though Adams remains proud of his lyrics. The New York Times critic Frank Rich averred that Strouse often wrote rousing scores for frail shows, citing both Rags (1986) – lyrics by Rogers, book by Joseph Stein, librettist of Fiddler on the Roof – about Jewish immigrants in early 20th-century New York, starring the opera singer Teresa Stratas; and the misfired Nick & Nora (1991), based on the sleuthing married couple in Dashiel Hammett's novel The Thin Man, lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr, book by Arthur Laurents. The first lasted four performances, the second – also known as 'Nick & Snora' – doubled up with just nine. Strouse wrote several notable film scores: for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), There Was a Crooked Man (1970), starring Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas, and Sidney Lumet's Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), which featured a hilarious romantic punch-up in a department store between Ali MacGraw and her feckless millionaire lover, played by the hangdog comedian Alan King. As Lerner nearly once observed, the lyrics of any show tune are only as good as the music lets them be, and for one glorious decade the lyrics of Adams flourished thanks to Strouse, who subsequently flattered the efforts of less ideal creative partners. Strouse is right up there with the best of the old Broadway musical theatre greats before Sondheim broadened the genre's horizons while, according to the critic Mark Steyn, reducing the popular audience to a sophisticated metropolitan elite. He married the actor and choreographer Barbara Simon in 1962; she died in 2023. He is survived by their four children, Benjamin, Nicholas, Victoria and William, and by eight grandchildren. Charles Louis Strouse, composer, born 7 June 1928; died 15 May 2025
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Non-sports summer camps 2025: An A-Z guide, from art and archeology to tech and yoga
Summer camps are not suitable for every child , but every single year the demand from children and parents increases. For children, the long summer often requires distractions – the good news being there are now many quality, entertaining and educational camps in every county . For parents , the summer can feel even longer, and camps can be as much about sheer necessity for working mothers and fathers as anything else. Below is our guide to summer camps that do not (generally) involve lots of outdoor physical activity. READ MORE AIMS Youth Workshop A weeklong fully residential workshop, the AIMS (Association of Irish Musical Societies) youth workshop introduces teenagers to various aspects of performing musical theatre. The teens take part in improvisation, dance, singing (solo and choral) and acting, culminating in a concert on the final evening. Past workshops have featured extracts from shows such as West Side Story, Grease, Clown, 42nd Street and Les Misérables. The camp always books out very quickly. Location: Ursuline Convent, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Dates and times: Sunday, June 29th to Friday, July 4th. Ages: 15-18 years. Cost: €320. Website: Alliance Française The award-winning Alliance Française Dublin's summer camps provide a unique and immersive environment for kids to learn and have fun in the French language and culture. One- or two-week camps are available for children and teenagers of all levels and abilities. Location: 1 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Date and times: June, July and August. Ages: 3-5 years / 6-9 / 10-12 / first year, second year, Junior Cert, fourth year, fifth year, and Leaving Cert. Cost: From €249. Website: Anyone4Science For children who love experiments and activities, this camp is packed with activities relating to botany, bioplastics/polymers, pulleys and levers, anatomy and food chemistry. There are also experiments and activities inspired by the David Walliams books – Slime, Gangsta Granny, Grandpa's great escape. The teen camps will also be packed with fun experiments and activities. Location: TU Dublin, Grangegorman; TU Dublin, Tallaght; Castleknock CC, Dublin 15; and Greystones ETNS, Co Wicklow. Dates and times: Camps take place during July and run from 9.30am to 2.30pm for teens and 10am to 2.30pm for primary schoolchildren. Ages: 7-15 years. Cost: From €275. Website: Archaeology Camp A unique type of summer camp. The School of Irish Archaeology camps provide a new and fascinating alternative to sports-themed camps and other school-break activities for children. If your child is a curious explorer with a thirst for knowledge who likes to get their hands dirty while learning about the past, this might be the one for them. Full of fun ancient craft and technology workshops, along with the very popular Big Dig Viking house excavation activity. Locations: Harold's Cross NS, Dublin 6 West; Rosemont School, Sandyford, D18; Clonturk Community College, Whitehall, D9; Malahide Community School, Co Dublin; and St Joseph's parish Hall, Terenure, D6. Dates and times: One-, three- or five-day options, 10am-3pm, throughout the summer. Ages: 7-12 years. Cost: €160. Website: Artzone For the creative young person in your house. Qualified art teachers teach the children new skills and techniques. Artzone covers a range of art projects, including painting, drawing, materials manipulation and clay construction, with lots of personal design and creative input. For older students, there's also stop-motion animation, drawing, painting and sculpture. Locations: Artzone Studios, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14; Taney Parish Hall, Dundrum, D14; St Andrew's, Malahide; Scoil Mhuire GNS, Lucan, Co Dublin; St Paul's Parish Centre, Glenageary, Co Dublin; and online. Dates and times: July and August, 10am-1pm, and 2pm-5pm (Rathfarnham only). Ages: 5-16 years. Cost: €160. Website: Aventuro Aventuro Ireland organises reciprocal exchange programmes for Irish children, offering cultural and language immersion experiences lasting from four weeks to six months. The organisation pairs a child with an international child of similar age, interests and personality. Participants live with their matched family abroad and later host their exchange partner in Ireland. Locations: Current summer placements are available in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Canada and China. Dates and times: June, July and August – from four to 12 weeks. Ages: 10-17 years. Cost: From €750. Website: Best Life Certainly not the usual summer camp, the goal is to 'empower children, and we help them develop self-belief, resilience and social skills in a fun and inclusive environment. Through engaging (age-appropriate) life lessons, creative arts and crafts, and outdoor, non-competitive games, children learn to find their voice, make new friends and build positive self-talk.' Some of the topics covered include making friends, self-confidence, speaking up for yourself and dealing with worries. Locations: 10 places across counties Dublin and Meath. Dates and times: 10am-2pm (four hours each day for four days) during July. Ages: 6-12/13 years (Children who are finished junior infants up to sixth class). Cost: €110. Website: Campa Samhraidh The Coláiste Ghlór na Mara summer camp is run by fully qualified teachers and is a great way for students to learn or improve their Irish through fun science, art, home economics and sports sessions. Location: Naul Road, Clogheder, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. Dates and times: Monday-Friday, August 18th-22nd, (10am to 3pm). Ages: Suitable for students coming from both English and Irish-speaking schools that are going into sixth class in primary school and students going into first, second or third year in September, 2025. Cost: €160. Booking: (email campa@ ) Connemara Maths Academy Set in the Cistercian College, Roscrea, CMA camps blend discovery, creativity, adventure and learning in a way that captivates young minds. The 2025 offering introduces STEAM workshops – covering AI; nanotechnology; wind, solar and hydropower projects; entrepreneurship and economics, 3D scanning, modelling and printing; chemistry experiments; coding and robotics; podcasting and more, as well as outdoor adventure activities. Location: Cistercian College, Roscrea, Co Tipperary. Dates and times: June 22nd-July 25th. Ages: 6-17 years. Cost: From €319 per week (day/residential options). Website: Dancesteps The camp covers ballet, jazz, yoga, hip hop and contemporary – promising to be sociable, fun, good exercise, and full of imagination and different modes of expression. Location: War Memorial Hall, Terenure, Dublin 6. Dates and times: July 21st-25th. Junior camp is 10am-2pm; senior camp is 2.30pm-5pm. Ages: Junior camp is for 5-12 years. Senior camp is for teens. Cost: €120 for junior camp, €70 for afternoon senior camp. Website: (email ellendowneydance@ ) DDen Dden is offering newly configured activity-based digital skills camps this summer: A specially curated DigiKids Camp for ages 10-12; social media literacy and digital health; machine learning and AI; leadership, team building and digital Health; data visualisation and analysis; and human centred design thinking. Each digital skills camp week comprises 37.5 hours of skills training and fun activities (machine learning and AI is 70 hours over two weeks). Participants also take home a digital portfolio of their work. Location: Carlow College, St Patrick's. Dates and times: Monday-Friday, 9.30am-4pm, June 30th-July 31st. Ages: Three age brackets – 10-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years. Cost: From €250. Website: (email immanuel@ ) Designer Minds Designer Minds camps are where science, technology and creativity collide. Children dive into hands-on challenges involving coding, robotics, LEGO engineering, science experiments, art and design, and maths, all while building confidence, curiosity and real-world skills. With a focus on fun and inclusivity, the camps give children the chance to explore, invent and discover in a space where being curious is cool and learning feels like play. Locations: 144 locations in 25 counties. Dates and times: Five-day camps in July and August. Ages: 6.5-12 years. Cost: €160. Website: Discovery Playtime Featuring themed weeks – from superhero training to ocean exploration – each filled with hands-on activities, outdoor fun and new friendships. Lots of activities, including art, messy play, dancing, singing, storytime and treasure hunts. Locations: Naas, Newbridge and Celbridge, Co Kildare, and Ballybrittas, Co Laois. Dates and times: July and August, 9.30am to 1.30pm. Ages: Children from ECCE to senior infants. Cost: €140. Website: Diva The Dún Laoghaire Institute of Visual Arts (DIVA) is an art centre offering creative camps that cover a wide range of different artistic activities. Children and teenagers will learn new skills in a fun and inclusive environment where the class sizes are small (maximum 10 per class). Young artists get to try out different activities such as clay modelling, plaster carving, watercolour and acrylic painting, ink marbling, still-life drawing, map making, collage, printmaking, oil pastels and character design. Location: 24 Mellifont Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Dates and times: Camps run weekly throughout July and August. Ages: 7-18 years. Cost: €158. Website: Dlr Mill Theatre Camps designed to immerse students in a high-energy, intensive, daylong learning experience consisting of instruction in acting, singing and dancing. Students will experience the collaborative nature of theatre, culminating in a presentation on the dlr Mill Theatre stage on the Friday afternoon. Children will also have afternoon activities in arts and crafts. Location: dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16. Dates and times: Four camps running from June 30th to July 25th – 10am-2.30pm daily. Ages: 4-15 years. Cost: €150. Website: Euro Languages College ELC offers immersive residential language camps for secondary school students, hosted in boarding schools in Munster. These 17-day summer courses provide a blend of language learning and fun, with students fully immersed in French, German or Spanish both in and out of the classroom. A wide range of indoor and outdoor activities – such as unihoc, basketball, tennis and swimming (available at select locations) – ensures a well-rounded and enjoyable experience. Locations: Bandon Grammar School, Bandon, Co Cork; Cistercian College, Roscrea; and Presentation Boarding School, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Dates and times: Various start dates across July and August (each course runs for 17 days). Ages: 13-18 (all secondary school students welcome). Cost: €1,490. Website: Independent Theatre Workshop Founded in 1993, The ITW has a bumper line-up of performing arts camps happening this summer for ages three to 18 in Dublin. The camps are all divided according to age and include drama, dancing, singing, arts and crafts, and puppetry. The musical theatre camps are inspired by Into the Woods and Little Shop of Horrors for Teens, with the younger camp themes including Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, Wicked and Matilda. Locations: ITW Studios in Clonskeagh and Drumcondra; and Beechwood Centre, Ranelagh. Dates and times: All camps run for five days, Monday-Friday. Tots – July in Beechwood from 9am-12.30pm, Drumcondra from July 21st-25th, 9.30am-12.30pm. Juniors and Tweens in Clonskeagh, July 7th-12th/14th-18th/21st-25th – 10am-3pm. Drumcondra – July 21st-25th, 1.30-5.30pm. Teens (13-17) -Clonskeagh – June 30th – July 4th/July 28th – August 1st – 10am-3pm. Ages: Tots (3-6 years), Juniors (7-9 years), Tweens (10-12 years), Teens (13-17 years). Cost: Tots: €140, Juniors/Tweens: €180, Teens: €195. Website: Inspireland Inspireland Art and Animation Camps bring together talented artists to create a safe space for young creatives to be themselves, express themselves and find their tribe. These camps are as much about building confidence as they are about creating art. Students will learn the basics of animation, comic art, claymation, video game concept art, craft bookmaking, mask making, character design, model making, illustration, watercolours, print, graphic art and mixed media. Locations: Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dún Laoghaire; Clasac, Clontarf; Rua Red, Tallaght; St Phibblestown Community Centre, Dublin 15; St Peter's, Cork; Knocknacarra GAA, Galway; TUS, Limerick; Navan Adventure Centre; and Linenhall Theatre, Castlebar. Dates and times: Five-day camps from late July and early August. Ages: 8-18 years. Cost: €160. Website: Instituto Cervantes The Instituto Cervantes, the official worldwide organisation for the promotion of the Spanish language and culture, is offering Spanish summer camps for teenagers. The programme is designed for students with prior knowledge of Spanish and aims to enhance their practical language skills. Through engaging activities that develop reading, listening, writing and speaking abilities, the course places special emphasis on interactive oral exercises. Teenagers will return to school more confident and better equipped with improved Spanish skills. Location: Instituto Cervantes Dublin, Lincoln House, 6-16 Lincoln Place, Dublin 2. Dates and times: Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm, weeks of June 16th, June 30th and July 21st. Ages: 13-18 years. Cost: €205. Website: Little School Nature Camps Keep the children busy with lots of outdoor fun at The Little School Nature Camps based in the heart of Airfield Estate. Children learn all about nature at the same time. Activities include nature scavenger hunts; bug hunts and pond dipping; farm life; birdwatching; and learning all about the world of food and planting food to take home and grow. Location: Airfield Estate, Dundrum, Dublin 14. Dates and times: Five-day camps – June 30th to July 25th – 9am-2pm. Ages: 5-7 years. Cost: €175. Website: Maratacht A marine-focused residential camp for teenagers with water activities and conversational Irish on Ireland's most southerly island. Activities include marine ecology, social history of human interaction with the sea, climate change issues, kayaking, snorkelling, fishing and SUP – all linked to second level curriculum/UN Sustainable Development Goals. Locations: Cape Clear Island/Oileán Chléire, Co Cork. Dates and times: Residential. Seven or 14 days. Every Sunday from June 8th – July 6th. Ages: 13-17 years. Cost: €765. Website: Next Stage The Next Stage Theatre School are back this summer with their renowned performing arts camps. The camps involve singing, dance, drama and fun, culminating in a show for parents on the last day. The focus is on making friends, having fun and building confidence while learning about performance. Locations: Naas and Castledermot, Co Kildare; Dunboyne, Co Meath; and Balally and Rathfarnham, Co Dublin. Dates and times: June 30th to August 15th, 10am-2.30pm. Ages: 4-13 years. Cost: €85. Website: Phoenix Stage School The Co Galway stage school provides education, entertainment and recreation for students aged five-18 in a nurturing environment through dance and musical theatre. The July camp is called Dance! Dance! Dance!, with the one in August named Musical Mania. Locations: Leisureland, Salthill, Co Galway. Dates and times: July 7th-11th and August 11th-15th, 10am-2pm. Ages: 5-12 years (music) 7-12 years (dance). Cost: €105. Website: Playact A lovely way for children to connect with new people, develop new skills and learn about drama, the arts and music. The kids become the maestros of their own theatrical tales, while being fully immersed in the world of drama, theatre, and play. Fun-filled days where drama, dress up, role-play, music, art and character building are the order of the day. Locations: Several Dublin venues – Dún Laoghaire, Donore Avenue D8, Stillorgan and Sandymount. Dates and times: Five-day camps, Monday, July 7th to Friday, August, 1st – 9.30am-1.30pm. Ages: 4-12 years. Cost: €155. Website: Réalta Drama This summer, Réalta will be running speech and drama summer sessions for children and teenagers in Co Mayo. There are only four spaces in each session so that children have a focused yet relaxing experience. Students are all grouped within similar age brackets. The summer sessions are about building confidence and creativity. Location: Mountgordon, Castlebar, Co Mayo. Dates and times: Contact Michelle at hello@ for available slots over June, July and August. Ages: 5-18 years. Cost: €60 per four week term. Website: Searsol The classroom computer skills camps are ideal for children and teenagers who want to improve their digital literacy skills. The course covers a range of topics, including touch typing, word processing, presentation slides, image editing, creating cards, avatars, comic books, collages and online drawing. Locations: Dundrum, Whitehall and Lucan, Co Dublin. Dates and times: Five days, 9.30am-12.30pm (Level 1) and 1.30pm- 4.30pm (Level 2). Ages: Ages: 8-12 years (Level 1) and 13-18 (Level 2). Cost: €100. Website: Singing & Songwriting Two separate camps. One is a Singing Summer Camp, aimed at tweens and young teens, and promising games, solo and group singing, learning techniques etc, and a concert at the end of the week. The other, a Songwriting Summer Camp, is for older children and includes writing, recording and performing a song. Arclight Drama also have an annual Shakespeare Camp, but this is already fully booked for this summer. Location: Arclight Drama Studio, Cornelscourt Village, Dublin. Dates & Times: Aug 5th-8th (singing). July 7th-11th and August 11th-15th (songwriting). Ages: 10-14 years (singing). 13-17 years (songwriting). Cost: €120. Booking: Email darraghcullen31@ or arclightdrama@ Siobhán Jordan Art Immerse yourself in nature and creativity in these outdoor art camps designed for children and young people. The art camp is a full immersion in the joy of creativity, a four-day camp where children explore nature, get messy, make friends, play and make art. Children will forage for materials (sometimes eating what's left over) and embrace the outdoors and nature. Location: South Co Carlow. Dates and times: Teen Art Club: June 11th-13th. Children's Camps: July 1st-4th, July 8th-11th, July 15th-18th. Ages: 6-18 years. Cost: from €100. Website: Starcamp Now in its 18th year, tens of thousands of children will attend one of Ireland most popular multi-activity camps. Dance, drama, music, magic, comedy, news and weather reporting, art and games – all wrapped together with the core ethos of building self-esteem and confidence. This year, the traditional Starcamp is aimed at the four-eight age group, with Starcrew introduced for those aged eight-plus, designed around activities that are more engaging for the older children. Locations: 250 locations in almost every county. Dates and times: Five-day camps through the summer, 9am-2pm daily. Ages: 4-12 years. Cost: From €100. Website: Spotlight Learn the art of stage craft, through dance, drama and vocals. The camp will also explore the technical side of theatre, working with lights, sound and stage management, as well as make-up and costume. Location: Source Arts Centre, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Dates and times: Monday to Friday, June 30th to July 4th, 10am-3pm daily. Ages: 7-14 years. Cost: €100. Website: Techkidz You can boost your child's creativity at this technology camp. Kids dive into coding, robotics, animation, web design, game design, graphics and more. A place to make friends and learn with every click and code. Locations: Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Dates and times: July to August, five-day camps. Morning camps (9.30am-12.30pm), Afternoon camps (2.30pm-5.30pm). Ages: 7-14 years. Cost: From €120. Website: Tutti Music Discover the magic of music at Tutti Music Ireland's Summer Orchestral Course. Experience ensemble playing, exhilarating performances, percussion workshops, conducting sessions and so much more with professional musicians Peter Ryan, Martin Johnson, Ian Dakin, Ailbhe McDonagh, Lynda O'Connor, Caitríona Frost and Ben Castle in a fun, engaging and inclusive environment. Location: Rathmines, Dublin 6. Dates and times: August 11th-15th. Ages: 11-17 years. Cost: €350. Website: WhizzKids Since 2003 WhizzKids summer camps have introduced children to the world of web design, game development, 3D modelling, app development and a host of other digital skills. Held in venues such as UCD, DCU and UL, they operate out of nine university campuses. And it's not all coding: they mix sports and high-tech challenges into an 'edu-taining' day. Locations: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Athlone, Clare, Tipperary. Dates and times: Camps through July and August. Monday-Friday, 9.30am-1pm or 9.30am-3pm. Ages: 8-15 years. Cost: €140/€190. Website: Yoyoga Children start each day with yoga, which is done through storytelling, games and songs, before then moving on to meditation. Then they go outside for arts and crafts. The camp day is finished with more yoga and meditation. Location: St Catherine's NS, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8. Dates and times: July 7-11th and August 11th-15th, 9am-1pm daily. Ages: 5-8 years. Cost: €135. Website:
Globe and Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Ramin Karimloo returns to the Pirate King in Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Ramin Karimloo's first paycheque from his debut musical theatre acting job came with a surprise bonus: printed on the pay stub were the words, 'US Pirate King.' The confused young Canadian called his agent, and that's how he found out he'd not only been cast as a swashbuckling ensemble member in Pirates of Penzance, he was also the understudy for the lead. 'I said, 'Wait, that means they could put me on as Pirate King at any moment?'' Karimloo recalled. 'I don't want that pressure!' Karimloo got the cheque for that Regent's Park production of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in 2001, shortly after moving to London. 'Ignorance was bliss. I didn't realize what a prestigious job that was,' the actor said, a bit wistfully. Both director Ian Talbot and Pirate King actor Gary Wilmot have since been named to the Order of the British Empire. And Karimloo? He's a big-name musical-theatre star. However, 'I've always said I would love to do Pirate King again,' he said. Karimloo, 46, finally has the opportunity to do so in a revamped version of the show, christened Pirates! The Penzance Musical, on Broadway this spring. On May 1, Pirates! received a Tony Award nomination for best Broadway revival. The day the nominees were announced, Karimloo spoke with The Globe and Mail about acting opposite David Hyde Pierce, travelling as an Iranian-Canadian and how to stay fit when your job involves shirtless sword fighting. You're excellent in Pirates! So sorry to hear you didn't earn your second Tony nomination for acting. I don't care about any of that stuff. When I was nominated before [for Jean Valjean in the revival of Les Misérables] I didn't even know I was nominated until my friend told me, and I didn't want to go to the Tony Awards. Are you one of those anti-awards people? I'm not anti-awards. I'm not anti-anything, but I grew up in Peterborough, Ont. When I dreamt of being an actor, I never thought about awards. It wasn't part of my culture. It's got to be about the work and nothing else. I'm only trying to be better than yesterday, every day. In interviews, your colleagues have been talking about how special the cast of Pirates! is, and how well you work together. Is that accurate? Some shows have highs and lows. This one doesn't. It sounds cliché, but it's the first time I've felt like everyone is a family, and everyone is having a blast. My kids [now 17 and 20] saw Pirates!, and they said they like it more than anything else I've ever done, because they were like, 'It's great to see you having so much fun.' I saw Pirates! at the tail end of your opening week, and was amazed at the energy level. The dancing is just phenomenal. I'm doing things I should not be doing at my age. It's brilliant. I said to [choreographer Warren Carlyle], 'If you had a magic wand to wave, what would you want me to do?' And then he made you try doing a backflip off a plank. Yeah. And every night I'm like, 'Let's see if this works.' I think back to my days in Peterborough. Just no fear of anything. We'd jump off bridges or do whatever. I was stupid and 16. Now I'm dumb and 46, but thankfully, it's worked out. Physical fitness is part of your brand, though, even if the backflip is new. When I started Pirates! rehearsals, I knew quickly I had to up my endurance, so I would get up early and do my weights because I enjoy that, but I added a 10K running program. I didn't want this show to wipe me out. You've also played Gleb in Anastasia and Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl. Do you worry at all about being typecast as rogue because of your ethnic background? I don't think of my ethnicity because I never have, and it's funny how the world is now wanting to make being Iranian a talking point. What I do like is that I see more Iranians and Middle Easterns come up to me at stage door. They see a path for themselves, and that's great. Some Iranian-born Canadians have reported issues trying to enter the U.S. Have you run into any problems? No. We've never had any issues, and my mom just came to America. Usually when I come through, they see my Green Card and say, 'Welcome home.' I get more questions when I come back to Canada. But honestly, that stuff doesn't bother me. My brother's a Toronto cop. These people have to do their jobs. What jobs are next for you after Pirates closes on July 27? The day we finish our Sunday matinee, I go straight to the airport to do Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Japan. And then I want to take a little break. Any chance you'll be back in Canada to do a show anytime soon? I would love to, but I want it to be Canadian content. I don't want to come back to Toronto as Jean Valjean again. I have a script right now that's pretty great, but everything's still under wraps. You'll have to wait and see. This interview has been condensed and edited.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
How to make it on Broadway, plus a twisted tale challenges these actors
What does it take to write a Tony-winning musical? Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are the friends and songwriting team behind big Broadway musicals like Ragtime and Anastasia. They're also voting members for New York City's famous theatre industry prize, the Tony Awards. They join us as Tony Awards season takes off. Back stage... The make up artist. Meet the veteran head of WHAM (that's wardrobe, hair and make-up) Fiona Cooper-Sutherland as she transforms Christine Anu into Hermes, the silver god for the musical Hadestown. In the classic play The Maids by Jean Genet, two servant sisters act out a sinister game -- playing at murdering their mistress. Then the mistress herself enters the plot. Canberra theatre company The Street is staging this absurdist and chilling drama. We hear from actors Christina Falsone, Sophia Marzone, Natasha Vickery and director Caroline Stacey. The original sound design is by Kimmo Vennonen.
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Stephen Sondheim's ‘Old Friends:' Don't Miss This Broadway Experience
Bernadette Peters on the opening night of "Old Friends" at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre The run of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, the posthumous musical love letter to Stephen Sondheim, has been extended on Broadway until Sunday, June 29th, 2025. The show offers musical theatre enthusiasts living near or visiting New York City the rare opportunity to experience the humor, joy and pathos of more than three dozen songs from Sondheim's most cherished musicals in one of Broadway's most intimate theaters. The program includes tunes from such Sondheim classics as Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Company, Follies, and Into the Woods. Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga at a press event for "Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends" Old Friends was first conceived as a one-night concert in London's West End, but the loyal legions of Sondheim fans wanted more. The sold-out production was live-screened from the Gielgud Theatre in London and then broadcast on the BBC before being reprised on stage for 16 weeks. A North American premiere in Los Angeles preceded its arrival on the Great White Way. On Broadway, the show stars Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, who were part of the West End cast, joined by an array of talented performers from the London, Los Angeles, and New York productions. The company of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends Old Friends was brought to the stage by Cameron Mackintosh, a longtime friend and collaborator of Sondheim. The two developed the idea during the COVID lockdown, but Sondheim died in November 2021 at age 91 before it was realized. Bernadette Peters has often been called Sondheim's muse; she was a friend who worked closely with Sondheim and inspired him. He frequently praised the three-time Tony Award winner for her unique ability to express the depth of his music and lyrics in the roles she played: Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George, The Witch in Into the Woods, Rose in Gypsy, Desiree in A Little Night Music, and Sally in Follies. The revue celebrates Sondheim's extensive contributions to musical theater. Peters, who continues to bring the same vitality and joy she did decades ago, co-stars with the talented Lea Salonga. Best known for her Tony Award-winning performance in Miss Saigon, Salonga belts out memorable solos and duets with Peters. Although the songs are removed from the context of the musicals where they were first heard, the incredible Matt Kinley set design, staging by Matthew Bourne, 14-piece orchestra with arrangements by Stephen Metcalfe, and spectacular talents of the cast have created a virtual collage of Sondheim's talents in a single show. Stephen Sondheim in 1997 Sondheim is considered one of Broadway's most important musical innovators, credited with raising the bar on complex storytelling and sophisticated lyrics that advance a plot. Perhaps this show's name acknowledges the many friendships he forged during his career with musicians, composers and performers. (Old Friends was also the name of one of the songs from Merrily We Roll Along.) A protege of famed lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, Sondheim became a mentor to numerous other composers, including Jonathan Larson (Rent) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). His own debut as a lyricist was in the 1957 musical West Side Story in collaboration with composer Leonard Bernstein. Sondheim's obituary in The New York Times recounts his myriad contributions to musical theater, including a dozen Broadway shows, five of which garnered Tony Awards for Best Musical and six for Best Original Score. He also won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Sunday in the Park. Old Friends marks the fifth revival of Sondheim's work since his death. Although there have been several revues of his music in the past, this retrospective tribute uniquely allows Sondheim fans to enjoy a wide breadth of his greatest hits in one sitting. It's impossible not to hum these energetic tunes long after the curtain closes. NY Times theater critic Jesse Green wrote about Old Friends: 'Any opportunity to experience how the feelings he channeled and the connections he made have mined our psyches and reshaped our world is an opportunity even old friends should take.' The limited Broadway engagement of Old Friends at the non-profit Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre will close on June 29, 2025. Running time is 2 hours 35 minutes with an intermission.
