The New Theatre in Temple Bar

I never thought watching a play that only consisted of two people, in a theatre that was hidden within a bookshop would be so entertaining! Last Wednesday night, myself and my friend attended a play called Ergophobia in the New Theatre in Temple Bar, Dublin. It was a play that told the story of two men-one with the potential to lose,the other a loser with potential. The two actors were great and really held the audiences attention throughout the evening. It was an interesting play that was funny, heartfelt and definitely worth the €15 entry fee!

The theatre only has about 70 seats in total which created a very intimate setting. The play lasted for 90 minutes and there was a 15 minute break in the middle which allowed us to get a glass of wine/tea/coffee in the bookshop outside. I thought it was a great idea to build this theatre in conjunction with the bookshop as it combines two businesses together allowing one to enhance the other. The theatre is located on Essex Street which is just down past Temple Bar square. The play was over by 9.30pm so it's definitely a great way to either start an evening or finish it. A quick drink in Buskers Bar before or after is the perfect solution for a night out!

Blood Brothers at the Gaiety

Blood Brothers is a captivating musical telling the story of twin brothers who were separated at birth and brought up in two completely different environments. Somehow fate and the bond of brotherhood intervened to ensure the brothers got to know each other from a young age, much to the distraught of their mothers.

Rebecca Storm is the lead and her incredible voice will stay with you for days after especially in 'Marilyn Monroe' and 'Tell me its not true'.

Blood Brothers runs in the Gaiety Theatre until 25th June 2011. It is definitely worth seeing and it will appeal to young and old, male and female.

The Gaiety Theatre is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Temple Bar Hotel. For our best available rates check out http://www.templebarhotel.com/.

Grand Canal Theatre-Sound of Music

The Hills are Alive...The Grand Canal Theatre

Firstly, i must say...what a great spot! The amazing architecture of the building, the beautiful views of the city and the selection of great restaurants located nearby with well-priced dinner offers really made this night out a great experience. My first impressions of the theatre itself were that is was very clean, the staff were well groomed and polite and the great views you get of the stage from your seat were great( and i was seated up high).

Apparently you can't bring your drinks into the theatre which is acceptable i suppose(i didn't know this at the time though so i successfully brought my glass of wine in with me).They do have a brilliant service to compensate for this as you can pre-order your interval drinks so when you come out your drinks are waiting for you with your allocated number alongside it. Genius:)

The musical itself was outstanding. The voices of some of the actors were unbelievable, especially the Mother Abbess. The children were so cute and really good at their parts. Maria was very like the character she was playing and had a lovely voice also.The props and stage settings looked very realistic and kept changing in every scene so not to get boring.

Tickets only cost €25 for an adult or €20 for an OAP or student. Upcoming acts are: Sicter Act, Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing and many more. Overall, i would definitely advise anyone to go to this musical for a bit of fun and uplifting.

Free Open Air Opera Performances

Well it's back this August, Dublin City Council will again host a series of lunchtime performances in their Amphitheatre (Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8) at 1pm for every Thursday in August.

The line up includes:

5th August: Don Pasquale (Donizetti)

12th August: Ariodante (Handel)

19th August: Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagan)/Paglicci (Leoncavallo)

26th August: Don Giovanni (Mozart)

I went along to one last year and really enjoyed the ambiance of a unique outdoor Opera performance. The audience were well prepared with picnic baskets and the sun shone! The events are free so do take a trip over. The Amphitheatre is approximately a ten minute walk from Temple Bar Hotel.

An Evening at the Theatre…..

What better way to distract yourself from the daily grind than to spend an evening at the theatre? The Olympia theatre is located on Dame Street which is less than a five minute walk from Temple Bar Hotel and it is a bonus that so many restaurants in the area offer pre-theatre menus.

There is a feeling of stepping back in time when entering the Victorian style Olympia theatre which is one of Dublin’s most iconic venues and I find it the perfect place to indulge my escapism. Having grown up just three miles from Michael Collins’ birthplace near Clonakilty in West Cork and I also attended the same primary school (albeit 100 years later!) I have always felt a natural affection towards this national hero.

The musical vividly and excellently dramatises the life of Michael Collins. It took about quarter of an hour to get used to presentation of his life in a musical format and after that it is complete absorption. There were stages of it where I felt the desperate need to run home and rummage through my dusty old school history books as the feeling of vague familiarity with certain names left me a tad ashamed!

The standing ovation and the tears streaming down the faces of the actors and audience at the end of the show was enough to make me realise that it wasn’t just because I am from West Cork that I found the show so moving! The theatre was charged with emotion at the re-enactment of The Big Fella’s death. As the fatal gunshot sounded around the ornate theatre I jumped in my seat as if I somehow didn’t know what was about to happen – such was the intensity of the final acts. My hands stung and tingled after a lengthy applaud and my heart was full of pride as I was reminded and remembered the brave men that died for our country.

Distance from Temple Bar Hotel to the Olympia - a 5 minute stroll.