Enter stage left: Stack independent magazine subscription service.

Exit stage right: Reading choice conundrum.

Stack is a funky magazine subscription service based in lovely London town. According to my very active imagination, they spend their days sipping fine blend coffee and browsing through a plethora of the world’s quirkiest and most interesting independent magazines. Then they decide which ones are the best and post one out to their subscribers (i.e. me, and the likes of me) once a month.

I’ve been a subscriber for over a year at this point and my house is happily playing host to wonderfully pretty and intriguing publications – my peepers have been privileged with the calmly feminine beauty of Oh Comely magazine and popped open to the world of mountain biking by The Ride. My palate has soaked up all that PORT magazine’s food edition has to waffle on about and I’m waiting to see Django Unchained before reading my copy of Little White Lies (an entire magazine devoted to Tarantino’s latest flick).

When I think about it, it works out pricey enough – €11/month with one magazine being delivered a month. However, you can specify what magazines you do and do not want to receive and I can almost guarantee it’ll be a magazine you will want to read each time, so for me, it’s money well spent. Even if the editorial content isn’t always what excites me, the design alone is something I love looking at. Independent magazines have this wonderful beauty about them – so much attention is given to defining a style and look, Juke Magazine for instance design all their own adverts, so you’ll see print adverts for big enough brands that are unique and only appear in Juke.

Anyways, this month’s delivery – Printed Pages is eyeballing me from my coffee table and promises me perfect Sunday afternoon reading fodder, so I’m going to stop gushing about it and read it.

Finally, I know what you’re thinking and the collective term for flamingos is in fact a ‘flamboyance’ of flamingos – but what you should also know is that you can subscribe for Stack Magazine ici.

The Woolgather doesn’t have much in terms of storyline – it’s a straightforward boy meets girl, girl turns out to be a bit neurotic (a bit?!) and what do you know, so does the guy. How will they get on?

A lyrical play with some really beautiful lines combined with two very impressive actors (Sinéad O’Riordan and Michael Hough); The Woolgather is a captivating play that draws you in to a small, dingy apartment where you think nothing of any great interest could happen, opens up the troubles of the world to you and reveals the beauty in the struggles of life’s ordinary people.

Without the strong performances and really great accents by both actors; The Woolgather would not have been as captivating or as realistic as it turned out to be.

If you’re looking for something to draw you in and get you thinking I’d recommend this play – along with the opportunity to witness two extremely impressive performances.

Plays until April 13, 7.30pm at the New Theatre. Click here for more details. Images copyright of Anita Kulon.

]]> http://qualitywaffle.ie/2013/04/04/review-the-woolgather-at-the-new-theatre/feed/ 0 qualitywaffle Wool_2 Wool_1 http://qualitywaffle.ie/2013/03/25/winner-of-tickets-to-waiting-for-elvis-bottle-of-wine-at-axis-ballymun/ http://qualitywaffle.ie/2013/03/25/winner-of-tickets-to-waiting-for-elvis-bottle-of-wine-at-axis-ballymun/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:09:55 +0000 Quality Waffle http://qualitywaffle.ie/?p=1013 ]]> The winner of two tickets to the great new comedy Waiting for Elvis at axis Ballymun along with a loverly bottle of wine is….. <insert cliche drumroll> Sandra Gough….

Congrats Sandra and enjoy the show.

This funny new show by Eileen Gibbons tells the story of Lisa Marie who meets a new friend, Elizabeth while she waits for Elvis. More about the show here.

To promote the show, axis are giving away two tickets to ‘Waiting for Elvis’ and a bottle of wine.

To be in with a chance to win, answer the following question: how many concerts did Elvis play outside the US?

Terms: Entries by March 25. Tickets can be redeemed on any date between April 3 and 13, but subject to availability.

Staring out the window, you may feel a little reluctant at the prospect of staring at Joyce’s grey Dublin with the wind and rain beating your face, so the company’s newly released CD version of the tour is just the ticket.

For me the beauty of the stories is that they are unlike your average audio book as the stories have been carefully edited to make them all about the dialogue and sounds and less about the prose itself. The narrative sections have been partially removed and in some instances changed into dialogue so that the listener gets a more 360 view of the story than they would with a traditional reading of each story.

The acting cast is wonderful – melodious Dublin accents skip their way through the stories, inviting you to become part of each event.

If you’d like to experience the actual walking tour (which I’d highly recommend) you can do so by starting off from the James Joyce Centre on North Great George’s Street or if you fancy cuddling up on the couch and experiencing Joyce’s Dublin through CD – maybe opening up Google Street View as you do, then you can download the album on iTunes ($9.99) or purchase the CD on Amazon (£19.41).

]]> http://qualitywaffle.ie/2013/03/17/wonderlands-dubliners-cd-launch/feed/ 0 qualitywaffle CD front cover Dubliners_Resized http://qualitywaffle.ie/2013/03/10/review-a-secret-act-of-murder/ http://qualitywaffle.ie/2013/03/10/review-a-secret-act-of-murder/#comments Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:55:04 +0000 Quality Waffle http://qualitywaffle.ie/?p=990 Continue reading →]]> There’s something in the air at Smock Alley – whatever I go to see there, it never lets me down. Suffice it to say that a trip to see work in progress ‘A Secret Act of Murder’ was a treat during a dull, misty week in Dublin.

As you may have already gathered if you’ve read the interview with the director and writer of the show – Conor Madden and Stephen McDermott, A Secret Act of Murder is a blank verse tale of the curious death of Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe.

First off, Two Gallants’ program for the show is one of the best programs I’ve seen … and it was free! It’s really well designer and when you open it out there’s a funky timeline detailing all the events surrounding his death and some infographic type pics telling you more about Marlowe and the London he lived in.

The prepares you for the story that ensues – with Rob McDermott packing in an energetic and passionate performer as the sole narrator and explorer of Marlowe’s disturbing death. He presents an aggravated case against what has been previously accepted as the true story of how Marlowe’s death came about, and begins to question the value of this story.

With clever use of lighting to create an intense atmosphere along with multi-functioning props, McDermott figures his way through the story – reasoning with the audience and convincing them of how he sees the series of events panning out.

There is a lot to the story and I found the complicated series of events sometimes difficult to follow, but there’s no denying the infectious nature of the energy and passion that comes through from the performance teamed with the blank verse which lends a pulse and rhythm to the script.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing this when it next gets staged – in the meantime I think it’s time to go in search of a copy of Doctor Faustus.

I picked the Marlowe-loving brains of director Conor Madden and writer Stephen McDermott to find out more about the production:

So, first off, tell me about the Collaborations festival and how you got involved:

Stephen (S): When I began writing this last autumn, I had my mind on submitting it as a work-in-progress to Collaborations because I knew how accommodating Jack Burdell were to new writing. On top of that, there’s also that collaborative aspect to it; there’s a nice energy about the festival that you don’t always get everywhere else, because everyone’s on the same level and helping each other out.

So, The Secret Act of Murder – you’ve said the play combines the form of American film noir with Marlowe’s signature blank verse, but how have you drawn parallels between the two?

S: In terms of the play itself [...] It’s written in a way that shows how a form like film noir can be transposed onto a story based on true events, one which occurred more than 400 years ago. Similarly, it makes a case for the relevance of an old form like blank verse in presenting a story.

Marlowe’s blank verse would have been unusual for a writer of his period (Elizabethan) but did you find it restrictive when it came to stage:

Conor (C): Blank verse can be tricky, it has rules. Blank verse, un-rhymed iambic pentameter, allows the “heartbeat” of the meter to communicate on more than an aural/cogniciant level, it speaks directly to the listeners hearts, much like music. It’s a beautiful form, when spoken well. It is meant to be spoken, not read, it doesn’t work nearly as well when you read it quietly to yourself.

S: It’s tough work; there’s more to it than just unrhymed iambic pentameter. If you don’t play with it a little, you run the risk of boring the audience to sleep. [...] It’s funny how different it can sound when you’re actually hearing it spoken; sometimes myself and Conor have both found ourselves wanting to cut the same lines for doing that in rehearsals, without either of us having had to say it to one another beforehand.

The play questions of narrative and truth – tell me more about the role it plays in The Secret Act of Murder:

S: Basically, the aim is to establish history as a form of narrative. Everyone’s aware that there’s a definite subjectivity to it, but the ways in which past events are described, with the recording of “facts”, are usually assumed to be true. It’s become more prevalent with the advent of something like Wikipedia, but it’s rare that we actually step back and question who’s telling the story and giving us these facts.

In the Marlowe case, we have a coroner’s report describing the murder, one which holds weight as an official government document, but there’s even flaws in that version for various reasons. The play is an interrogation in that sense, asking whether we can really believe what history tells us all the time.

What is it that intrigued you about Christopher Marlowe and how do you see him as being different (if at all) from his contemporaries?

S: There’s definitely an element of the ‘James Dean effect’ there, in that he was killed relatively early in his life. Also, his life outside of his writing is another draw: his spying for the government, his supposed atheism and homosexuality and his apparent tendency towards violence mark him as a bit of a badass before the concept even existed. [...] I think that’s where he differed from the likes of Shakespeare or Ben Jonson: they might be regarded as superior playwrights, but Marlowe’s biography is arguably much more colourful.

Christopher Marlowe was known to have been an atheist which at that time would have been quite controversial but not so shocking for today’s audiences. Do you address his religious beliefs in the play?

S: Yes. Without ruining anything, they’re in there, as is the controversy of them at the time. Again, it plays upon the backdrop of conflict between the ideologies of Catholicism and Protestantism. I’m not going to give too much away though.

What is it about the story of Christopher Marlowe that you think will appeal to a modern audience?

S: I honestly never thought I’d say this, but the day-to-day mechanics of Elizabethan politics and espionage are absolutely fascinating. It’s definitely not a ‘Murder, She Wrote’ or ‘Poirot’-type whodunnit, but there are those type of aspects of the unfolding of a murder case and of getting to the facts too. We have a kind of morbid fixation when it comes to untimely death; we crave the story and sequence of events for some reason, which the play definitely attempts to provide.

C: Today we have iPhones, internet, space exploration, green energy, hoverboards. Lots has changed in the 400 odd years. Humans really haven’t. We’re still ruled by our emotions, fear, love, loyalty, trust. Marlowe’s life and death is full of intruige and lies. Much the same as mine, or so I’d like to think.

Catch the Play:

The Secret Act of Murder, a work-in-progress will be staged as part of the Collaborations festival at Smock Alley Theatre next week – March 6 and 8 at 7.30pm and March 9 at 6pm (tickets cost €10/12). Click here for more info on tickets. 

On the surface this is a story of class divide, but delving deeper the difference between the two women is the key decisions they have made throughout their life – one choosing the self loath and by default loath others around her, and another choosing to fight for her children and stay ever-the-optimist even during her darkest times.

Finding the delicate balance between teary, heart-breaking scenes as each women says goodbye to their families and the giggly antics as they work out their personality clashes; the play is a thoughtful and entertaining piece of work with great performances from both Phyllis Carthy and Breid Morris. Alison Fitzpatrick returns to No Tears after her stint in Bound and brings enormous energy and vibrancy to the stage – brightening up even the darker parts of the story.

Whilst going a little bit heavy on class stereotypes, the play teaches us the important lesson of the difference between having everything emotionally and having everything materialistically. The final realisation is that no matter what you do in this life, you’ll be on the same level as everyone else when it comes to the end.

Final Line: Go for the giggles but bring some tissues for the teary bits.

Booking: A Nice Bed to Die In has finished its run in the Civic Tallaght but will play in the New Theatre this August, 5-17 at 7.30pm nightly.

There’s an awful lot of s*&t said on Twitter such as ‘I just ate a ham sandwich with mustard, it’s been a revolution for my taste buds’ but for once, the Twitter people were worth listening to. A punchy, lyrical exercise in storytelling; The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle is full of gleeful giddiness as well as a dash of quiet heartbreak that exists in the life of an ordinary man.

I’ve never heard of 15th Oak productions, but I’m really hoping I’ll hear from them again. The play boasts a melodic soundtrack performed by all the cast right through the production and all the parts of the jigsaw-esque script move seamlessly back and forth through the life of our anti-hero – Eric Argyle himself as we reflect alongside him, on the disappointments of his life. All is not as it seems however and perhaps these grey disappointments have more beauty in them that you would think.

The surprisingly large cast are comprised of some young uns I’ve never seen before but who pack in great performances along with up and coming actors like Manus Halligan (ye may have caught him in Heroin for Breakfast). They’re accompanied by Ross Dungan’s original script that produces a wonderful collection of funny stories, heart-breaking moments and enlightening reflections of the importance of not letting life pass you by.

If you’re looking to brighten up a grey January day; then grab yourself a ticket to this unique production that only remains in Smock Alley until Saturday, January 26.

Yes, he did follow on from Joyce which was an enormous struggle in itself for any writer not least one who shared the same alma mater and stomping ground with the writer of the world-famous blue books of Eccles, and while I’m not entirely convinced O’Brien did enough to stay away from Joyce, he did carve through a style and niche of his own.

His imaginative meanderings through dark and unknown worlds led by the careful hands of colourful and insightful characters marks a new dawn in postmodern writing for Irish literature. At Swim Two Birds being his most famous novel, other works such as The Third Policeman and An Béal Bocht can boast an enormous amount of literary achievement.

While these quirky pieces of literature have found themselves enjoying somewhat of a resurgence in popularity in recent years; they have also taken to the stage thanks to the impressive and careful work of dramaturge Jocelyn Clarke. Blue Raincoat are currently staging Clarke’s stage adaptation of O’Brien’s novel An Béal Bocht in one of the Sligo company’s newest productions – The Poor Mouth.

Having seen Blue Raincoat’s productions of At Swim Two Birds and The Third Policeman, I thought I knew what I was in for – imaginative staging, energetic performances and complete dedication to appreciating the writing style of Flann O’Brien. I didn’t expect however, for a completely new imagining of a book I thought I had already made my mind up about.

To me, An Béal Bocht is a cleverly constructed parody of the island literature that was prominent during the Celtic Revival era – it’s packed full of lots of fun pastiches of over-enthusiastic gaelgóirs, ignorant peasants and the general misery and hardship we’ve come to expect in plenty of Irish literature. Blue Raincoat keep all this wonderful humour and very astute observations on the ridiculous over-simplified attitudes of the Celtic Revivalists, but also manage to extract the beautiful humanity of the novel’s story. The sadness as well as the uplifting and joyous moments throughout the story are treated with enormous reverence and create extremely poignant moments throughout the production.

The company have never failed to impress me and with a great cast led by the extremely talented Ruth Lehane; The Poor Mouth is both a respectable tribute to Ireland’s greatest postmodern writer as well as a celebration of his wry wit and cruel and unmistakably Irish sense of humour.

Newcomers to O’Brien’s work may find it hard to get used to the long rambling sentences full of clauses and roundabout ways of getting to the point and the production keeps perhaps a little bit too close to the text resulting in quite a lengthy performance, but these minor issues aside The Poor Mouth is well worth the visit to The Project Arts Centre for what, I personally promise will be a clever, creative, moving and most of all, fun production.

Plays until November 24 – more details here >>