PERFECT 10
HERE’S OUR TOP TEN THINGS TO DO IN CORK THIS WEEK
KENNY IS THE CROWMAN AT THE EVERYMAN
THE thought-provoking ‘Crowman’, a play from the pen of Katie Holly, will run at The Everyman Palace Theatre for three nights from next Tuesday.
Set in a sparsely decorated kitchen, this intimate one-man show starring Jon Kenny, (D’Unbelievables), is a window into the soul of a lonely bachelor, Dan.
A crow-hating man who noisily tries to shoo the blighted birds away, Dan measures out his life by the amount of funerals he has to attend every week.
They are social occasions with the added bonus of refreshments. Dan, who vacillates between high comedy by mimicking TV celebrity chefs; and pathetic admissions, including attending Mass just to connect with another human by shaking hands, is a master at distraction.
But one day, hearing a death announcement on the radio, his world is shattered.
Tickets €20 from 021 450 1673.
QUEEN FANS SET TO GO GA GA AT THE OPERA HOUSE
QUEEN tribute band Flash Harry will belt out a high-octane set of classic tracks when they take to the stage of the Cork Opera House on Friday and Saturday night with their ‘Celebration of Queen’ show.
Their exhilarating set includes all of the classic Queen tunes ranging from the 1970s when they dominated charts across the world to the recordings they made prior to Freddie Mercury’s tragic death.
The concert will feature note perfect renditions of a songs from Queen’s extensive back catalogue including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘One Vision’ to name just a few
Tickets for the concerts, which are guaranteed to have the audiences dancing in the aisles, from the Opera House box office on 021 427 0022 priced at €26.
3 ON THE BUND TO PLAY UCC ‘TRADFEST’ CONCERT
EXCITING new Limerick band ‘3 On The Bund’ will play Cork’s Cyprus Avenue on Saturday night under the umbrella of the UCCs ‘ Tradfest’.
The band, comprised of Aisling Lyons ( harp and concertina), Rebecca McCarthy Kent ( fiddle), Seán Kelliher ( guitar and banjo), Simon Pfisterer ( uilleann pipes), formed in March of last year after originally meeting at the University of Limerick’s prestigious Irish World Academy.
As individuals, all are award-winning and accomplished performers. As a group, they have already travelled to Shanghai, Beijing and the United States and last November left audiences awe-struck after their performance at the Birmingham TradFest in the UK.
Their complex, layered arrangements consist of both traditional and newly-composed tunes which are played with an energy and passion that is completely authentic.
Tickets €12 (plus booking fee) from www. eventbrite. ie.
OMID TO BRING HIS MAGIC HISTORY SHOW TO CORK
ACTOR and comedian Omid Djalili is to bring his award-winning stage show ‘A Strange Bit Of History’ to the Cork Arts Theatre for two performances on Friday and Saturday.
The enthralling and hilarious storytelling piece of mystical experiences, astonishing claims, adventures and tragedies is set against the backdrop of tumultuous expectation for a ‘Promised One’ in Persia in1844.
In this revival to mark the Bicentenary of the birth of the Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Djalili portrays a rich diversity of characters..
The yarn is spun by scholars and famous names of the day, alongside an Egyptian camel-driver, a chief executioner of Tehran, and a distressed modern-day poet, who rails against the ills of our current world, and grapples with questions about human existence.
Tickets from the venue on 021 450 5624.
CRY MONSTER CRY AT THE SIRIUS ARTS CENTRE
THE Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh will kick off its 2020 ‘Sirius Suppers’ season next Thursday evening (February 7) with a concert in the company of Dublin folk duo Cry Monster Cry.
Brothers Richie and Jamie Martin are known for their warm fraternal harmonies, thoughtful, unadorned instrumentation, evocative lyrics and beautiful melodies.
Their new album ‘ Tides’, produced by’ Tommy McLaughlin ( Villagers, Bell X1, Luke Sital-Singh), sees the band take a typically measured and considered approach to song-writing and production and was recently selected as the RTE Album of the Week.
It has received widespread critical acclaim, with the Irish Times saying “its no-fuss songs envelopes the listener in a sonic hug...it ebbs and flows as only superb themed records can”.
Tickets €20 from 021 481 3790.
KINKY BOOTS TO ‘STRUT ITS STUFF AT THE GATE
LONDON’S West End will come the big screen in Cork next month with the critically acclaimed hit musical ‘Kinky Boots- The Musical’’ strutting its stuff ’ at the Gate Cinema’s in Mallow, Midleton and Cork City next Tuesday evening.
Written by legendary Broadway playwright Harvey Fierstein the multi-award winning ‘feel good’ musical, which features songs by Cyndi Lauper and direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde, Hairspray), will screen in the cinemas at 6.30pm.
Starring original West End leads Matt Henry and Killian Donnelly the musical, described by Time Out magazine as “dazzling, fabulously sassy and uplifting” tells the heart-warming story of two people with nothing in common – or so they think.
This unmissable show celebrates a joyous story of true grit transforming into a high-heeled hit as it takes you from the factory floor of Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan.
Admission €12.50.
FINBAR WRIGHT AND HIS ORCHESTRA AT THE INEC
SINGER, songwriter, poet and all-round entertainer Finbar Wright and his Orchestra will play the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney on Friday evening.
This promises to be a magical night packed with Finbar’s typical humour and passionate music and song in the company of one of Ireland’s best loved entertainers as he celebrates all of his greatest hits and favourite songs.
Over a career spanning more than 25-years, Wright has worked with a veritable ‘who’s who’ of the Irish music industry, selling out venues and winning numerous awards along the way.
He will be joined by an impressive line-up of fine musicians for a sparkling performance that will delight all music lovers.
Tickets from the venue on 064 667 1555 €39.50.
SPILLANE & O SÉ ON THE SAME BILL IN KILWORTH
CORK’S favourite musical son, the inimitable John Spillane, will be back on home turf on Saturday evening when he plays the Village Arts Centre in Kilworth with special guest Sean O Sé.
During a career spanning more than three-decades, Spillane has sold more than 100,000 albums, won two Meteor Awards and seen his songs covered by a host of Irish folk luminaries including Christy Moore, Solas, Mary Black and Sharon Shannon.
His gigs are always very special occasions as Spillane treats audiences to well known ditties and debut performances of new songs delivered with his roguish humour tinged with more than a dollop of typical Cork irreverence.
A time-out with John Spillane is enough to ease the load a bit on anyone lucky enough to bask in his light. The man and his music are pure magic.
Tickets from 087 649 2514.
ALINA BZHEZHINSKA QUARTET AT THE TRISKEL
The Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet will play a concert at the Triskel Arts Centre next Thursday evening (February 6).
Fronted by internationally acclaimed UKbased harpist Bzhezhinska, the group also features Tony Kofi (saxophones), Larry Bartley (double bass) and Joel Prime (drums/percussion), three of the most sought after musicians on the vibrant London jazz scene.
Bzhezhinska brings a new perspective to the supposedly dainty harp, taking the ground-breaking work of Alice Coltrane in the 1960s as a stepping-off point for her own flighty improvisations and innovative sonic adventures.
Capable of high-octane lapel-grabbing statements, she can also create extraordinary lyricism and soul within her own compositions, and this versatility and curiosity has marked her out as a pioneer in the field of Jazz Harp.
Tickets for the performance from the venue on 021 427 2022 priced at €20.
THE NATION MOURNS TO PLAY HOMETOWN GIG
THE Nation Mourns, the musical brainchild of Berlin-based Cork singer/songwriter Neil O’Shea, will play a free gig in An Spailpin Fanach on Cork’s South Main Street on Wednesday, February 12.
Growing up with a wide range of blues and rock influences, it was the haunting timbre of artists such as Tom Waits, Nick Drake, and Jackson C Frank drew him to song-writing.
O’Shea’s song-craft leads to lyrics of landscapes and leaving for home; while subtle, melancholic melodies draw you ever further into the music.
A regular performer on Berlin’s vibrant music circuit, O’Shea’s signature sound takes accepted musical norms, turns them on their head and grabs them by the scruff of the neck.
He is currently in the process of recording his eagerly anticipated debut album in Berlin.
To hear some of his work visit The Nation Mourns Facebook page.