by Rose Rushe
PLAYWRIGHT Mark O’Rowe is a scorch-hot ticket in Irish theatre. His most recent play ‘Our Few and Evil Days’ at the Peacock secured the Irish Times Theatre best actress for Sinead Cusack and was nominated for at least four other gongs, including best actor for Ciarán Hinds, best production and best play.
Garry Hynes is legend in directing, at Druid, Abbey and elsewhere.
In a new collaboration with Lincoln Center Festival, she takes three Shakespearean plays connected to Ireland that are adapted by O’Rowe on tour. DruidShakepeare is “an epic story of families, wars and the making of nations”. A funded tour begins. P.S. it’s the great Bard’s birthday this Thursday April 23, Lime Tree the host venue here reports.
Bring your stamina as well as curiosity as the June performances in Lime Tree Theatre, lasting six hours, have a staggered run over two days for ‘Richard 11’, ‘Henry IV’ parts one and two, and ‘Henry V’. Or choose a weekend performance in full.
According to production notes, “DruidShakespeare is an exploration of English history through an Irish lens. As Shakespeare was writing ‘Richard II’, ‘Henry IV’ and ‘Henry V’, English forces were being sent to Ireland to quell rebellions and these expeditions are referred to throughout the plays.
“..DruidShakespeare distills the narratives of these four works into a unified dramatic action. Shakespeare’s language has been preserved as has the chronology but O’Rowe’s adaptation removes ancillary characters and streamlines the narrative to harness the drama of these epic works”.
Expect a cast of 13 including members of the Druid Ensemble. The times are Tuesday June 23, 7.30pm for performance part 1 (c.3hours), Wednesday June 24 at 7.30pm for performance part 2.
Again on Friday June 26 at 4pm for a full six hour performance and on Saturday June 27 at 2pm for the works. At www.limetreetheatre.ie, June 23-27.
