Travel Ireland Magazine’s May Theatre Guide
Mermaid Arts Centre
Cotton Fingers by Rachel Trezise
Set in Belfast, Cotton Fingers tells the story of a young woman making the journey to Wales to access free NHS abortion care. Amy Molloy (’71, The Fall) will perform in this bold, coming-of-age one-woman show about the cycles of secrecy and the power young women hold over their futures.
Dates: Jun 1
Tel: 01 272 4030 or visit www.mermaidartscentre.ie
Also at the Mermaid Arts Centre this month: The Matchmaker May 23, The Experience of Being May 30.
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein
This multi award-winning Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical is coming to Dublin direct from its record-breaking sold-out season at The London Palladium. Set in 1860’s Bangkok, it tells the tale of a British schoolteacher invited by the King of Siam to teach his many wives and children English and Western customs. Featuring songs like ‘Getting to Know You’, ‘Shall We Dance’ and ‘Whistle a Happy Tune’, star Jose Llana told Travel Ireland Magazine that The King and I is ‘a show you can bring your kids and your grandkids to, one where you can learn some beautiful lessons’.
Dates: May 21 – Jun 1
Tel: 01 677 7999 or visit www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie
Also at the Bord Gais this month: RuPaul’s Draq Race: Werq the World May 8 – 18, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical May 9 – 11.
The Abbey Theatre
Citysong by Dylan Coburn Gray (pictured)
Described as not just a play but a poem and a chorus of voices, Dylan Coburn Gray’s Verity Bargate Award-winning work centres on three generations of a Dublin family on one day. Featuring teen discos, late night taxis, home nurses, Jewish launderettes, vigilantes, babies, immigrants and seagulls, the Abbey describe it as ‘intimate and sweeping, cerebral and compassionate, joyous and ridiculous.’
Dates: May 25 – Jun 8
Tel: 01 887 2200 or visit www.abbeytheatre.ie
Also at the Abbey this month: Trad Apr 30 – May 11, Session May 10 – 11, Le Natura Delle Cose May 14 – 15, BAOITE May 17 – 25, Rosas Danst Rosas May 18 – 19
The Gate Theatre
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
A tragic semi-autobiographical tale of family, love, truth, and illusion, The Glass Menagerie catapulted its playwright Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire) to stardom. Set during the Great Depression of 1930s America, the memory play tells the story of Tom, a young man longing to escape the gloomy St. Louis apartment he shares with his overbearing and histrionic mother Amanda and shy sister Laura. The story of this fractured American family is told through Tom’s narrative voice and skewed memories.
Dates: Apr 25 – Jun 1
Tel 01 874 4045 or visit www.gatetheatre.ie
The Olympia Theatre
3 Hail Mary’s by Tommy Marren
A rip-roaring comedy taking Ireland by storm, 3 Hail Mary’s centres on three characters named Mary who have lived in a nursing home together for over 10 years and have become great friends. However, due to circumstances beyond their control, they are being moved to three separate nursing homes. The play is set around their last few hours together.
Dates: May 9 – 11
Tel: 01 679 3323 or visit www.olympia.ie
The Gaiety Theatre
Avenue Q / Amelie The Musical
Two very different types of musicals will be performed at the Gaiety this month. The first Avenue Q is from some of the people behind The Book of Mormon and Disney’s Frozen. It centres on a group of cheeky but lovable characters on a downtown New York street trying to make sense of life’s burning issues. They also happen to be puppets. Meanwhile, Amelie The Musical is a stage musical adaptation of the acclaimed runaway French hit film Amelie. It tells the story of the titular character, a young woman who lives quietly in the world, but loudly in her mind. She secretly improvises small, but extraordinary acts of kindness that bring happiness to those around her
Dates: May 13 – 18 / May 28 – Jun 1
Tel: 0818 719 388 or visit www.gaietytheatre.ie
Also at the Gaiety this month: The Comedy About a Bank Robbery May 7 – 11, The Magic Flute May 21 – 25. Meanwhile, at Dublin’s Citywest Hotel is Disney on Ice from May 10 – 12.
Smock Alley Theatre
Writers in the Stars
We have lost many great writers over the years. Where are they now? According to Writers in the Stars, they are in heaven arguing over who is the greatest. Join Oscar Wilde, Mary Shelley and their friends as they ask audiences to help them decide who is truly the best writer of all time in this light-hearted celebration of the English-speaking world’s literary giants.
Dates: May 6 – 11
Tel 01 677 0014 or visit www.smockalley.com
Also at Smock Alley this month: A Chorus Line May 2 – 4, Pumpgirl May 12, American College Dublin Musical Theatre Final Year Showcase May 16, American College Dublin Musical Performance May 17.
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