Have we got Culture recommendations for you! A trio of must-see happenings this weekend...
THEATRE: GOOD VIBRATIONS
Adapted from the award-winning film, this new musical by Colin Carberry and Glenn Patterson (adapting their own screenplay) is the story of Belfast legend Terri Hooley, the man who opened a record shop on "the most bombed half-mile in Europe" and became the godfather of the Northern Irish punk rock scene, discovering acts like The Undertones and The Outcasts. The initial reviews have been rapturous, and the show has already been extended by a week at The Lyric - this one's going to run, and run.
Where? Lyric Theatre, Belfast, until October 7th.
FILM: BLACK 47
Lance Daly's acclaimed drama is, unbelievably, the first motion picture to take The Great Hunger as its subject matter - ultimately, it serves as the back drop for an old-fashioned western, set in a apocalyptic Connemara, with Aussie leading man James Frecheville giving it his best Clint Eastwood as an ex-soldier out to avenge the death of his family, and the great Hugo Weaving stealing every scene he's in as the ranger on his trail. While it doesn't skimp on the history, this is a cracking yarn, well told, with a cast that includes game performances from Stephen Rea (who gets the best lines) and next Big Thing Barry Keoghan.
Where? Now showing at cinemas nationwide.
VISUAL ART: COMING HOME - ART AND THE GREAT HUNGER
A fitting companion piece to Black 47 - for the first time ever, the world’s largest collection of art relating to The Great Famine has come home to Ireland for a 12-month tour, currently showing in Skibbereen. The art has made the journey across the Atlantic from Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University, Connecticut.
Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger, contains 50 artworks from some of Ireland’s most eminent artists, among them Jack B. Yeats, Dorothy Cross, Paul Henry, William Crozier, John Behan, Brian Maguire, Rowan Gillespie, Micheal Farrell, Hughie O’Donoghue, Alanna O’Kelly, and a new painting by Robert Ballagh.
Where? Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, until October 13
