Sunday, December 08, 2024

Sleeping Beauty – quality pantomime that packs a punch without burning a hole in your pocket (Brassneck at St Comgall’s until Sunday 22 December)

›
Brassneck Theatre Company are back with their ‘People’s Panto’ after the success of Cinderella at The Devenish Hotel last year. Ticket p...
Saturday, December 07, 2024

The Marian Hotel – so much was unspoken, so much was suspected but not shared (Sole Purpose Productions at the Lyric Theatre)

›
Caitriona Cunningham’s play begins with the residents of the Marianvale Mother and Baby Home entering the set in shadow. It’s an appropriate...
1 comment:
Friday, December 06, 2024

A Christmas Carol – a joyous evening watching Scrooge face up to his demons (Lyric Theatre until Saturday 11 January)

›
My eyes normally roll when I discover a venue is planning to produce A Christmas Carol . It’s a beast of a book to adapt, with three ghostly...
Monday, December 02, 2024

Cinderella – wholesome ‘Ella benefits from overhead eavesdropping on her cussed step-sisters (Yellow Jumper Productions at Theatre At The Mill until 30 December)

›
Cinderella lives in the shadow of her two self-identifying ‘ugly’ stepsisters, Pimple and Dimple. Having met the tall, lanky, prince of Ant...
Saturday, November 30, 2024

The Adventures of Red Riding Hood – familiar fairy story characters lose their identity in a vivid forest (The MAC until 1 January)

›
There’s a wealth of creative talent on show at the MAC this Christmas: on the stage, in the wings, and behind-the-scenes. The Adventures of ...

Belfast Actually – a festive rom com with three couples battling against the pull of their heart strings (Theatre At The Mill until 30 December)

›
Fancy a festive rom com? Then head down to Theatre At The Mill for Belfast Actually , written by Leesa Harker and directed by Andrea Montgom...
1 comment:
Friday, November 29, 2024

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – sporadic surrealism spoils this analysis of gaslighting, victim shaming and abuse cover-up (Queen’s Film Theatre from Friday 6 December)

›
When Shula discovers her uncle’s dead body in the middle of the road, his Zambian family gather to mourn the loss of a man who was seen as a...
Thursday, November 21, 2024

NOW That’s What I Call A Musical – spandex and solidarity, friendship and forgiveness (Grand Opera House until Saturday 23 November)

›
NOW That’s What I Call Music compilation tapes began 41 years ago this month. Released two or three times a year, they collected together –...
1 comment:
Friday, November 15, 2024

No Other Land – forced displacement captured from inside the West Bank and a friendship that defies stereotypes (Queen’s Film Theatre from Friday 22 November)

›
No Other Land is a haunting film that stayed with me over the four and a half months since I first watched it as part of Docs Ireland at th...
Wednesday, November 13, 2024

The Other Way Around – a couple’s attempt to celebrate ending well (Belfast Film Festival at Queen’s Film Theatre) #BFF24

›
Belfast Film Festival certainly had its fair share of surreal and absurd movies this year. The final screening I attended was Spanish direct...

Calamity Jane – mistaken identity, impersonation, guns, hats and a stagecoach full of whip-crack-away songs (St Agnes’ Choral Society at Grand Opera House until Saturday 16 November)

›
St Agnes’ Choral Society are performing the musical Calamity Jane all week in the Grand Opera House. The story was made famous by the 1953 ...
3 comments:
Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Nightbitch – exhausted mum by day, cuddly dog killing other animals and burying them in the garden by night (Belfast Film Festival at Queen’s Film Theatre) #BFF24

›
Amy Adams plays a mum who stays at home to rear her toddler while her husband (Scoot McNairy) travels far and wide with his work. Hearing Mu...

Conclave – “certainty is the great enemy of unity; certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance” (UK cinemas from Friday 29 November)

›
Conclave is likely to be in my top three films of the year. While it’s a great translation from page to screen of Robert Harris’ novel , ...