Category Archives: Theatre

Showtime: ‘The Number’ at the 16th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival

May 9, 2019Dublin, Gay, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

So half of the run of ‘The Number’ in the 16^th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival has been completed. Last night was the fourth show of an eight show run. It’s been satisfying but quite exhausting thus far. Due to poor time management I have squandered my holiday allowance from my regular paying job on fripperies like foreign travel later in the year. Hence each day this week I have put on my work hat, toiled away at the coalface of office administration before making my way into town for the less lucrative, but more rewarding creative work life. Continue reading Showtime: ‘The Number’ at the 16th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival →

Theatrical: ‘Trad’ at the Peacock

May 2, 2019Dublin, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

trad
Two days ago I was indulging in some internet personal time while my boss was in a meeting. I did my usual trick of checking what concerts, films and plays were currently playing. It wasn’t my intention to book anything – this was more for my edification. I read the blurb for ‘Trad’ which had opened on Tuesday. Idly I clicked on the ‘book tickets’ button to check prices. Interestingly all dates for the fifteen day run were showing as ‘sold out’. With the exception of Thursday night, where there was a handful of tickets remaining. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘Trad’ at the Peacock →

Launch of the 2019 IDGTF : ‘The Number’

April 17, 2019Gay, Theatre, Uncategorized, writingmidnightmurphy

At 6pm last night in the City Assembly House on South William Street was the official launch of the 2019 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. As my paying job is in the industrial wastelands of County Dublin where I selflessly toil at the coalface of administration, an executive decision had to be made. So at 4.30 pm with an air of purpose I downed tools and departed for the day. Continue reading Launch of the 2019 IDGTF : ‘The Number’ →

Theatrical: ‘Dublin will show you how’

April 12, 2019Dublin, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

dublinwill

For the third time in a week, I was at an Abbey production (but don’t worry about my looming bankruptcy – thanks to my dull cunning, the combined cost for these shows was 27 euro). This evening for my theatrical entertainment I was in attendance at ‘Dublin will show you how’. This was an off-site production for the Abbey – being held in the Complex – who co-produced the show. It was written by Tracy Martin and directed by Vanessa Fielding of the Complex. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘Dublin will show you how’ →

Theatrical: ‘Ulster American’ and ‘In our veins’

April 12, 2019Dublin, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

On Tuesday I attended the Abbey Theatre (main stage) to see ‘Ulster American’ – a black, farcical comedy by David Ireland, directed by Gareth Nicholls. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘Ulster American’ and ‘In our veins’ →

The Taoiseach and the Showgirl

April 1, 2019Gay, Ireland, TheatreKylie Minogue, Leo Varadkarmidnightmurphy

LeoVaradkarKylieMinogueComposite4dec18_large

So the Taoiseach (prime minister of Ireland) is a fan of Kylie Minogue. This is not surprising. Leo Varadkar is 40 so would have borne witness to Charlene’s explosion onto the international consciousness as part of Neighbours in the 1980s, and her evolution into a global pop sensation with Stock Aitken and Waterman a few years later. Kylie’s special place in the heart of the gay community might be confusing to some, but it is undeniable. Speaking personally, I have seen her in concert on numerous occasions, in various countries over the years, depending on where I have been living at the time. Continue reading The Taoiseach and the Showgirl →

IDGTF: ‘The Number’

March 27, 2019Dublin, Gay, Theatre, writingmidnightmurphy

number
On May 6th this year (it’s a bank holiday) the 16^th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival opens. Running for 2 weeks, it features twenty plays across four venues. I took part in the festival in 2017 as both actor and writer with my first full length play ‘An unexpected party’ at the Teachers’ Club on Parnell Square. It was an absolute blast. So much so that I submitted another piece this year. Which to my delight has been accepted for inclusion in this year’s festival. So back at the Teachers’ Club from May 6^th to May 11^th, for 8 shows, my play ‘The Number’ will be showing. Continue reading IDGTF: ‘The Number’ →

Theatrical: ‘The morning after the life before’

March 2, 2019Gay, Ireland, Limerick, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

matlb

May 23rd 2015 is a day that will forever be etched in the memory of the LGBT community in Ireland. It was the day the result of the marriage equality referendum was was announced, and 62% of our nation said that we were equal.

On 24th May 2015, Limerick woman Ann Blake received a text from her brother, asking ‘How’s the morning after the life before?’ This question became the title of the play ‘The morning after the life before’ which is currently playing at the Bewleys Cafe Theatre. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘The morning after the life before’ →

Theatrical: ‘The Country Girls’

February 26, 2019Dublin, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

HBB

I have never read ‘The Country Girls’ by Edna O’Brien. This book was published in 1960, and was the debut novel by the Clare writer. Notorious upon its release for its depiction of the sexual awakening of a pair of young Irish women in catholic Ireland, it was banned by the censorship board for being a dirty, filthy book. Naturally when read through the prism of 2019, it is very tame indeed. Well the book has been adapted by the Abbey Theatre. Last night I went to see it. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘The Country Girls’ →

Theatrical: ‘Fat Blokes’

February 15, 2019Dublin, Gay, Theatre, Uncategorizedmidnightmurphy

dogboy

December 2015 was a funny time. I’d been back in Dublin for a month, after years in Amsterdam, feeling like I’d made the biggest mistake of my life coming home. It was the dead of winter – always a miserable time. I was working in the industrial wastelands of county Dublin with my bullying colleagues Mouth-Breather and Potato-Head (not their real names); and I was flat-sharing in the leafy suburb of Castleknock with the deranged FlatEnemy who lectured me constantly about how he was going to be a millionaire. I was less than content. I remember one evening seeing a YouTube link called ‘I’ve been radicalised’ starring the artist Scottee, describing his rage at being bullied and abused for being a fat, camp gay guy. It was powerful, in the way that honesty mixed with anger tends to be. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘Fat Blokes’ →