All Things Irish: Mid-November All Things Irish

On V http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102459560768/archive/1102Up838699127.htmlhttp://archive.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102459560768/archive/1102838699127.html

^{We did not get to see the Irish Gangster film}
^{Boondock Saints II yet.}
^{It might have to wait till video.}
^{The reviews were generally bad and the only}
^{E-mail report we got was basically}
^{a warning not to see it.}

^{There are some good Irish/Celtic offerings for}
^{those of us who like live stage productions.}
^{Here is a quick run down.}
^{Druid Theatre}
^{Dylan Thomas at ACS}
^{Ray Bradbury Christmas Gift}

^{We will start with the Bradbury Gift...}

^{Ray Bradbury is a literary legend and}
^{a national treasure.}

^{He is also a very nice gentleman and}

^{he loves Ireland and the}

^{Irish Experience in general.}

^{I had the good fortune and opportunity to}
^{meet him a few times through my}

^{Irish News & Entertainment position}
^{as publisher/photographer and organizer.}

^{We did an Irish News night at his}
^{hit play Falling Upward}
^{and he was in attendance and addressed}
^{the audience and cast.}

^{He stayed on for a little social after and was a delight.}

^{Ray Bradbury's Irish connection goes back to}
^{1954 when he wrote the screenplay for}

^{John Huston's film based on Moby Dick}

^{which was filmed in part in Ireland.}

^{Falling Upward is based on his memories of an}
^{Irish Pub that he frequented.}

^{I like Ray Bradbury. He is kind and gracious and a true genius.}

^{Bradbury is also very easy to meet.}
^{In fact he has a Christmas Gift}
^{in store for all of his fans.}

^{In December on three successive}
^{Saturday Evenings he will be}
^{in South Pasadena, California}

^{for a showcase of his new play and to share his own}
^{Christmas experiences with the public.}

^{This is a rare opportunity to meet one of}
^{the leading writers of our time.}

^{Bradbury for years has personally sponsored}
^{a series of theater evenings and plays}

^{under the banner; THE PLAY’S THE THING.}

^{It is under this group that the preview for his}
^{new play will be held.}

^{Here are the details from Bradbury's}
^{PR Guru Phil Sokoloff.}

^{RAY BRADBURY’S}
^{MERRY CHRISTMAS 2116

At the Fremont Center Theatre –}
^{Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19 at 8.00 pm

For several years now,}
^{the Fremont Centre Theatre has played host}
^{to a special Christmas show from Ray Bradbury.}
^{This is a special treat for fans of Ray Bradbury:}

^{an advance look at his newest work for the stage,}
^{as well as the opportunity to share}

^{holiday-time memories with their literary hero,}
^{who will appear in person.}

^{The new musical production will have its}
^{formal World Premiere}
^{at the Fremont Centre Theatre}

^{on Saturday, January 16, 2010.}
^{It will be running through February 27.

In Ray Bradbury’s Merry Christmas 2116,}
^{an aging couple, approaching the 40th anniversary}
^{of their married lives together, each decide to}
^{give their spouse a present.}

^{As coincidence would have it,}
^{Mr. Wycherly and Mrs. Wycherly}

^{each separately approach a maker of realistic,}

^{lifelike robots called marionettes,}
^{although they have no strings.}

^{Mr. Wycherly requests that Mr. Marionette}
^{manufacture a highly customized younger,}

^{more vital version of himself to please}
^{Mrs. Wycherly.}

^{The Missus, for her part, asks the robot-maker}
^{to fashion a young, hot, sassy, saucy}

^{version of herself for her Mister.}

^{When the new marionettes are each delivered to}
^{their designated recipients, the fun really begins.}

^{It’s a work of Bradbury’s humor, warmth and joy,}
^{perfect for the season.

This musical was first conceived fifty years ago}
^{for two Bradbury friends, the husband and wife}
^{team of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester,}

^{with director James Whale attached.}
^{With Whale’s sudden death,}

^{the project was set aside.

Book and lyrics by Ray Bradbury.}
^{John Hoke composed the brand}
^{new musical score.}

^{Directed and choreographed}
^{by Steve Josephson.}
^{Produced by Ray Bradbury and}

^{by Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners.}

^{The cast includes David Stoneman,}
^{Rob Harryman,}
^{Lisa Morrice, Jessie McLean,}

^{Steve Josephson, Samantha Marcella,}
^{Christine Reese and Anthony Scarano.}

^{Presented by Ray Bradbury’s}
^{Pandemonium Theatre Company}

^{and Gallimaufry Performing Arts.

In addition to the musical,}
^{the second segment of the December evenings}

^{will be a personal appearance by Ray Bradbury,}
^{sharing the reminiscences}

^{of a legendary life and career.}

^{Ray Bradbury will also be available}
^{to sign books for his fans.}

^{Fremont Centre Theatre

1000 Fremont Ave. (at El Centro)

South Pasadena, CA Abundant free parking}
^{behind the theater.

Close to the Mission St. Station of}

^{the Metrolink Gold Line.

Saturdays at 8 p.m. on}

^{December 5, 12 and 19, 2009

Admission: $20 Seniors: $15}

^{Students: $10

Reservations and information:}

^{(323) 960-4451}

^{Online ticketing:}
^{www.Plays411.com/raybradbury}

The musical will have its formal
World Premiere for the press at
Fremont Centre Theatre on
Saturday, January 16, 2010

Now on to Welsh poet/playwright Dylan Thomas
This is a powerful stage presentation of one his most masterful works.
The Doctor and The Devils
The Doctor and the Devils, was written in the 1950s by Thomas
The story is the classic tale about grave robbers Burke and Hare and Scottish surgeon
Dr. Robert Knox.
Here is a link to their really good website:

thedoctorandthedevils.com

There is also a film version of this and it to offers a fair synopsis of the story....
(which also yielded the 1945 Val Lewton classic The Body Snatcher).
"Timothy Dalton plays 18th century doctor Thomas Rock, who must rely upon
the disreputable Robert Fallon (Jonathan Pryce) and Timothy Broom (Stephen Rea)
to provide fresh cadavers for Dr. Rock's teaching hospital.
When they can't dig up corpses fast enough to suit Dr. Rock, Fallon and Broom
decide to streamline their methods via murder."

More Dylan Thomas in December...

Saturday, December 19
at 8PM

An Claidheamh Soluis/The Celtic Arts Center

Christmas Event
ACS will present an evening of readings

from the works of Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas,

including 'A Child's Christmas in Wales,'
read by actor/director Joe Praml.

Holiday Refreshments will be served.

The Raven Playhouse
5233 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA
Admission $10
$7 for member

More information about the Celtic Arts Center:

http://www.celticartscenter.com

ACS Christmas

^{Music for the Holidays.}
^{Another Triade,,,}
^{Again ACS}
^{Michael Londra}
^Tare/

Spotlight on Irish Theater.

New York Theatre Trip Planned
The Irish News USA is organizing a group outing to New York to go to a couple plays,

do a NYC PUB CRAWL, have a group dinner and basically enjoy a bit of the

Christmas Season in the City that never sleeps.
We are planning on seeing these two plays;

Finians Rainbow and The Doctor and the Devils.

Older post:

Today is Friday the 13th. I hope all of our friends and readers had a decent day.
The Irish of popular culture and imagination are a superstitious lot but I don't know of any un-lucky tales about this day in Irish lore. The best thing I could find was the fact that Rossini died on this day and he supposedly hated Fridays and the number thirteen (triskaidekaphobia).
The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia,a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (meaning fear). The term triskaidekaphobia derives from the Greek words "tris", meaning 'three', "kai", meaning 'and', and "deka", meaning 'ten' and good old phobia. That is all of got.
All the best,
Jim

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Mid-November All Things Irish

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