THE WORLD ON STAGE
This October, get ready for a month of serious entertainment. MEG WALKER has the theatre, film, art and music highlights, plus a few must-reads.
Your October cultural hit list
October... a month made for costumes, cosying up and catching up on some fabulous culture. It’s fitting, then, that this month’s arts highlights celebrate the most fantastic array of dramatic icons. Go ahead and let the clocks change, because we’re excited to turn off the lights and embrace those evenings in, whether at home or in a dark theatre or cinema. Bring it on... 1 With over one million followers on Instagram, @ballerinaproject was created by New York City-based photographer Dane Shitagi over the course of 18 years and has become a beautiful photographic archive of world-renowned dancers. The artistry, strength, and dedication of more than 50 accomplished ballerinas are beautifully captured in Shitagi’s new book, Ballerina Project (Chronicle Books, approx €33, out September 17), featuring more than 170 stunning images and introductions by principal ballerinas Isabella Boylston and Francesca Hayward (star of the upcoming film, Cats). Coffee table gold. 2 The biopic of the year, Judy, , finally hits Irish cinemas on October 4 starring Renée Zellweger in the title role alongside Irish actresses Jessie Buckley and GemmaLeah Devereux, plus Rufus Sewell and Michael Gambon. Directed by Rupert Goold, it’s expected to offer a wonderful insight into Judy Garland’s fascinating life and work. Bring your ruby slippers. Other films on our radar this month include The Kitchen, , out September 20, starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss; and Ad Astra starring Ruth Negga and Brad Pitt, out September 18.
3 Fashion fans rejoice: Dior: Moments of Joy by Muriel Teodori (Flammarion, approx €73), out October 3, is a magnificent 256-page volume exploring the house’s long history through a celebration of extraordinary moments. “Women, with their ever-sharp instincts, understood that I not only wanted to make them more beautiful, but happier too,” the designer once said, and with this beautiful tome, Christian Dior’s wishes continue to be granted. 4 Netflix’s new must-see comedy series, The Politician, hits our small screens on September 27. Starring Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton (pictured) alongside Pitch Perfect star Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lange, it’s set to be one we’ll all be talking about. 5 Ireland Music Week, the nation’s annual music showcase and conference running October 1-5, will feature a show-stopping line-up of 50 acts, including Laura Elizabeth Hughes (pictured), Ailbhe Reddy and Junior Brother. And that’s just for starters – there are many more arts events happening this month...
SEE Eoin Mc Hugh’s aweinspiring mixed media drawings (below left) at the Kerlin Gallery Dublin, which presents a solo show of the artist’s work entitled Loje, jelo, laso (which means red, yellow, blue in “Toki Pona”, an invented philosophical language first published in 2001) from October 25 to December 7. The exhibition is an exploration of the possibility of the creation of a new visual language, kerlin.ie. HEAR Kim Gordon’s first ever solo album, No Home Record, out October 11. The multi-disciplinary artist’s acclaimed exhibition, She Bites Her Tender Mind, continues its IMMA run until November 10. TAKE THE KIDS TO Barboró International Arts Festival for Children, October 1420 in Galway, showcasing world-class and provocative work by renowned Irish and international artists. Among the highlights will be a new world-premiere dance show from CoisCéim entitled Francis Footwork, which celebrates individuality, barboro.ie. CATCH Open House Cork, October 4-6, to get a sneak peek inside some of the city’s most stunning buildings. WATCH Una McKevitt and PJ Gallagher’s new play, Madhouse, starring Katherine Lynch, which tours nationwide October 23 to November 23, madhouseontour.com. Also, Sheehy Skeffington, Reminiscences of an Irish Suffragette by Rosalind Scanlon runs at The New Theatre October 29 to November 2, thenewtheatre. com. FIND TICKETS FOR Margaret Atwood’s appearance at the National Concert Hall as part of the Words + Ideas series on November 2, nch.ie; and Jonathan Van Ness’s show at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre October 16, olympia.ie. Both shows are sold out, but you could always try manifestation (see Holly O’Neill’s piece on page 108).