The Abbey Theatre is in crisis as it makes its centenary tour of the U.S. Artistic Director Ben Barnes is stepping down amid financial difficulties, but the U.S. tour is proving to be a commercial and theatrical success. The touring group is putting on J.M. Synge's Playboy of the Western World, a play that caused extreme controversy and riots when it premiered in Dublin in … [Read more...] about The Abbey Does Playboy in the U.S.
Arts
O’Byrne in Shanley’s Doubt
Irish-born Tony Award winner Brian O'Byrne will join forces with Irish American Oscar winner John Patrick Shanley in a new drama called Doubt, which will open at the Manhattan Theater Club on November 22. O'Byrne won the 2004 Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a play for his portrayal of a child-killer in the play Frozen. If you didn't get to see Frozen, now is … [Read more...] about O’Byrne in Shanley’s Doubt
Farewell, Ms. Bluebell
Dance-world icon Margaret Kelly passed away on September 11 at the age of 94. Kelly was best known for her dance troupe, The Bluebell Girls, which originated in Paris in 1932, and went on to gain notoriety for its tall, beautiful dancers who enchanted cabaret audiences throughout the world with their risqué cancan routines and elaborate costumes. Kelly's life story is one of … [Read more...] about Farewell, Ms. Bluebell
Head in the Clouds
Tom O'Neill talks to Hollywood heartthrob Stuart Townsend about his newfound stardom and his latest movie with Charlize Theron. ℘℘℘ The common perception might be that when you have a very hot, Academy Award-winning actress like, say, Charlize Theron, and she does a follow-up picture to the film that won her an Oscar (Monster) and it just so happens to co-star her, well, less … [Read more...] about Head in the Clouds
9/11 Memorial Planned for Irish Catskills
After losing Michael, his firefighter son, on September 11, 2001, Jack Lynch felt a responsibility to ensure that the day's events be remembered appropriately. An executive board member on the Coalition of 9/11 Families, Lynch is helping to establish a 9/11 memorial planned for construction in East Durham, about 140 miles north of New York City. Plans call for the memorial to … [Read more...] about 9/11 Memorial Planned for Irish Catskills