When we arrived home tonight I turned off the car and we sat parked in front of the house listening to this beautiful song playing on the radio, while gazing out across the misty bog just as the grey of the day was darkening into night. It always amazes me just how perfectly Irish music fits with the Irish landscape.
Yes, we had another day of what has been the punch line of the summer, “forty shades of green replaced by Fifty Shades of Grey!” However, fast becoming an expert at trying to make the best of the challenging weather situation, this afternoon I purchased tickets to a show staged at the Cultúrlann Sweeney Theatre that resides in the newly renovated library in Kilkee. Tonight, Crack’d Spoon Theatre Company performed “Curtains Up”, a family friendly variety show, that was a delightful mix of comedy, dance and live music featuring local children, teenagers and adults. The comedy provided hearty laughs – and a few eye-rolls, the talented, and sometimes quite nervous, children were darling, the adult performances were very professional and the live music was an unexpected treat tonight following Willie Clancy Week. Some of the night’s highlights were; two young boys dressed as chimney sweeps performing an exuberant sean-nós broom dance; a Monty Python-esque town doctor comedy skit; two excellent male singers performing a “Simon and Garfunkel” tune; traditional Irish music performers playing and singing several Irish classics; a hilarious, quite large, older man dressed as a ballerina performing with a group of tiny, adorable little girl ballerinas, who seemed to take his presence for granted as just part of their group; and two “cleaning lady” comediennes who punctuated the acts with their banter and short spurts of set changing followed by numerous breaks for tea! All in all a great way for a mom and her 10-year-old son to spend yet another rainy Kilkee evening! This local black box theater is a great discovery that I hope we get to enjoy a lot more of in the future.
I also must mention something that I have observed at every performance I’ve attended in County Clare. This is the particularly charming practice of offering as refreshment, fresh brewed tea in ceramic mugs or, as they did tonight, in ceramic teacups with saucers! This was even done in the large venue for the concerts in Miltown Malbay last week. In that instance at one point the emcee of the show politely asked that people who have finished their tea, “please pass your cups down to the end of the rows so that they may be collected.” I love this civilized, homey touch and I hope it is never replaced with the usual disposable cups that are the norm everywhere else!
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July 17, 2012 at 12:02 am
lifeonthecutoff
Your post brought a smile to my face, Janet; for the telling of your theater experience tonight, hearing this beautiful song, and tea in tea cups at a performance. I have only experienced this once, in a barn in Vermont with an appearance by the author/illustrator Tasha Tudor. What was already a great experience was made only sweeter by the drinking then passing of the tea cups.
Good for you for not being thwarted by the weather.
July 17, 2012 at 4:59 am
bloggingfromthebog
Being served nicely brewed tea in a real cup adds to the pleasure of an event, doesn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed reading about the performance, I had a difficult time finding the words to describe so many varied acts.
July 19, 2012 at 4:05 am
Janice Whelan
delightful…the tea helps too, our local cinema ensures people are offered mugs of tea for all performances…no coke and popcorn , just hot steaming mugs of tea….perfect.. Love the song. J.
July 19, 2012 at 6:34 am
bloggingfromthebog
Yes Janice, isn’t that song great? I keep playing the video even though Vodafone keeps telling me I’ve nearly reached the limit of my broadband or bandwidth, or something like that. Your cinema sounds fantastic – though I think my 10-year-old would disagree due to the absence of coke and popcorn 🙂 !
July 19, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Kate
Hmmm looks like I’d find some work in Kilkee! I’m so glad you two got tickets and enjoyed yourselves. I’m sure Eoin loved the part with the funny ballerina, it seems pretty “stooges-esque” which is right up his alley! How often do they put on shows? Once a summer? Is there a workshop for Eoin maybe?
July 19, 2012 at 4:14 pm
bloggingfromthebog
The funny ballerina was an hysterical sight gag – it even had ME laughing, but yes, Eoin loved it. They’re having a show every Monday night through the summer, I think it’s the same variety show but I’m not sure. Since the children were all local they must have some sort of workshop going on but I didn’t really look into it.