Midsummers Nights Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream, originally uploaded by M+MD.

Midsummers Nights Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

The Trinity College drama society, "Players" ran a Shakespeare festival last week. The British Shakespeare Company were invited to perform Midsummer Night's Dream in the open air. There is a lovely little square referred to as the rose garden which was an ideal venue. We went to the performance last night and it was wonderful. The setting was great and it was a lovely summers evening. They had set up tiered seating for about 300 people on one side of the little square and it was sold out! The play itself is such fun - it's set in ancient Athens with Elizabethan clothing. There are fairies kings queens and dukes. There is magic and farce. There are a bunch of amateur actors rehearsing and performing a play and of course a happy ending. Even though the language is all old Shakespearean English the wit and the humour shines through very clearly. The timelessness of Shakespeare is amazing, it just made you want to go out and see another Shakespeare play immediately!

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Midsummer Night's Dream
Uploaded by M+MD

Street Performance World Championship

Katinka - Swan Lake, Uploaded by M+MD.

This week-end the Busker World Championship is on in Merrion Square, Dublin. There are some great acts. We especially liked Mario - Queen of the Circus. and Katinka the Russian (?) former superstar of an obscure Soviet circus troupe! She is now alone in Dublin with only her wit, dentures and a pair of traffic cones to rely on. The photos tell the story. She arrives out first as a little old bag lady with dentures. She picks on Cormac from the audience and she christens him Vladimir. She then gets our attention with some serous acrobatics - the glass trick is pretty impresive. She then does Swan Lake - on traffic cones.

Bad Teeth Day
Uploaded by M+MD

Katinka
Uploaded by M+MD

Mario Crowd Surfs
Uploaded by M+MD

To Queen's "Bicycle"
Uploaded by M+MD

Mario and Assistants, Uploaded by M+MD.

Then we had Mario from the USA with a strong Portuguese accent which he says "is very hard - to do". He is a juggler who is also a Queen and Freddie Mercury fanatic. He juggles in time to Queen music. (Watch out for another one bits the dust in the YouTube clip below). Mario picked 2 assistants from the audience. The first was Martha from Portugal ("where my accent came from"). He plans to carry her on his shoulders while he rides a Unicycle. He reassures us that "in all the times of done this trick - I've only made a mess of it once. By the way, this is only my second time to attempt this" She was understandable nervous as he tried to get on the Unicycle. I think we were nervous too.

Mario, Uploaded by M+MD.

To put us at ease he did a virtuoso performance on the unicycle to Queen's "I want to ride my Bicycle". Not only does he use the pedals and one pedal, but he also propels the unicycle with his foot pushing the tyre rather than the pedals. He then juggles to Love of my life - where upon Martha's boyfriend challenges him to a duel. They fight it out with bananas. Then th eboyfriend has to sing Bohemion Rhapsody. Finally he crowd surks to "We are the Champions"

The YouTube clip gives some idea of a great performance.

Some more photos from Dublin.

Byron (Canada)
Uploaded by M+MD

Space Cowboy
Uploaded by M+MD

Pig
Uploaded by M+MD

Silver Elvis
Uploaded by M+MD

Mr Spin (Oz)
Uploaded by M+MD

Tumble Circus
Uploaded by M+MD

Waiting in Line
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Audience Participation
Uploaded by M+MD

Thirst

Thirst ©2006 Daragh Owens M+MD.

Last night we went to see Thirst (a short play by Flann O’Brien) in Russell’s Pub in Ranelagh. Our neighbours, Michael and Heather came along. It was part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival. It was very well done – we were sitting in the pub and it was if the actors were just a few regulars (in fact I think they were). It’s a short piece, but entertaining.