I met Martin Dyar about a year ago at the Poetry Ireland Introductions thingy and we keep bumping into each other around the country - Strokestown, Baffle etc. Not only is he a hugely talented poet - he won the main Strokestown Prize as far back as 2001, and has scooped the PK award too - but he's also a damned fine actor too. And he's bringing his one-man show to Dublin next week too. Shore Theatre Presents Tom Loves a Lord, by Martin Dyar.
Directed by Bairbre Ni Chaoimh.
Samuel Beckett Theatre, TCD, April 11th & 12th, 7.30pm
Tom Loves a Lord is a hilarious and gripping one man show from the award-winning poet Martin Dyar. Prepare to be captured from the outset by a wealth of language, and then to be ambushed by a host of loquacious characters, all eager to shine a light on the life of an Irish icon.
http://vimeo.com/21305695
In this unforgettable play, an ageing Thomas Moore (1779-1852, Irish poet, lyricist of Moore’s Melodies, including The Last Rose of Summer), fretting for how his patriotic credentials will be recorded, attempts to restate his commitment to his mother country. Shadowed by his rakish biographer, his devoted wife and the ghost of his mollycoddling mother, Moore approaches his final days with an outrageous plan to stage a rebellion at an aristocratic gathering where he himself is the guest of honour.
These special shows, in association with the Faculty of Health Sciences at TCD and Poetry Ireland, will include performances of Moore's Melodies by soprano Anna-Louise Costello & pianist Aileen Cahill.
Tom Loves a Lord. Samuel Beckett Theatre, TCD, April 11th & 12th, 7.30pm Tickets: €15/€12 Ph: 018962461 Web Booking: https://www.ctb.ie/tickets/samuelbeckett/?shows=%25
Sounds fascinating, Pete. I truly wish I could fly across the pond to make it. Martin is certainly an extremely talented fellow, and a fine, fine poet.
ReplyDeleteTell him he should bring it across the water to New York--perhaps the Irish Arts Center...
Hope all is well with your good self.
Sounds really cool. I usually steer clear of 1 man shows lately, as I rarely find one actor can hold the attention needed for the full duration, but with the right subject it can work and this looks like an example of that - you should go and review it for us!
ReplyDeleteHe's performing it at Strokestown this year, so I'll mention NYC to him, Connie!
ReplyDeleteNiamg, I know as much about theatre as I do about poetry!