Good Times in Galway :)

Oh. My. Goodness.  How spectacular is this city!  We arrived in Galway in the late afternoon, and checked in to one of our favorite Keegan spots: Niland House.  It was great fun to see Oliver again (he’s such a character!) and meet his brother, David.  We settled in and headed for Shop Street and one of Mark’s favorite pubs- Neichtan’s.  Mark didn’t get to enjoy it for long though- He and Larissa were whisked away for a radio interview about the show!  Thanks to everyone back home who found a way to listen and send their love!

Once they returned we all went out for a lovely dinner followed by some liquid debauchery ;).  We arrived on a Friday, and couldn’t load in until Monday, so we had a wonderful weekend to explore Galway! Some of us explored Galway lugging around a computer in need of repair in the freezing, relentless, sideways rain from shady shop to overrun superstore with a 10 day queue all day Saturday.  Not all was lost though! I made friends with a lovely cab driver and it turned out my corrupted hard drive only cost 20 euro to fix! And there was still plenty of time for Bulmers!

It is always incredible to see Michael Diskin and his lovely wife Evyleen again! They both chauffeured us around to some great pubs, shared some wonderful stories and lots of laughs.  Galway would not be as great without those two!!

Load in was quick and efficient with the help of Donnell, our new friend at the Town Hall Theatre.  Goodness gracious the man is white lightning zipping around that massive theatre! He’s not all business though- he was so wonderful to work with and showed us a great time our last night; taking us around to some great pubs.

Tom, an amazing man who comes to any Keegan show that makes it to Galway without fail, treated us all out to a lovely lunch at Galleon's in Salthill.  We all sat down to personalized menus that read "Welcome Keegan Theatre!" across the top.   It was so wonderful to see him again (for some) and to have the honor of meeting him for the first time for the rest.

We can’t leave this recollection of Galway, without looking further back to the joyous union of Mark and Susan Rhea.  They were married in this gorgeous city – and looking at them now, that is certainly the way to secure a happy marriage!

A short stop in Thurles and then home is just around the corner! See you soon.

Cheers!

Megan

Always Lovely in Letterkenny!

Made it to Letterkenny in fabulous time! No flat tires to speak of, however…Ireland- we have got to talk.

Please, don’t jump to conclusions- we’ve had a wonderful time together, no, your looks aren’t fading- don’t be ridiculous- and it’s not a younger country or anything like that. But really- your friggin roads! You have all of these new roadways, or “dual carriageways” as you haughtily refer to them, and they are ALWAYS CLOSED.  Don’t give me that business about they’ll be open soon, I just have to be patient- it’s not me, IT’S YOU.  If I see another DETOUR sign on another (already) 4 hour trek I’m just gonna lose my damn mind.  I’m going to change the topic right now, but I want you to think about what you’ve done.

When we finally (ahem) arrived in Letterkenny and were so happy to be back at An Grainan Theatre  to see our good friend Nial and meet new friends Pete and Annemarie. We put the set up in record time and made our way to our hotel just up the street.  The Gallagher Hotel!  Larissa’s obvious connection failed to procure any additional benefits to the (already) gorgeous rooms and perfect proximity to our performance space. Thanks a lot, Larissa.

It was a short stay but we had a great audience,  saw some great friends – new and old- and enjoyed the local pubs and eateries. Now… Galway bound!

On the way to Galway, Mark made a special stop at the Glencar Waterfall at Benbulbin Mountain, where we enjoyed absolutely captivating scenery and all enjoyed a stroll around the grounds. Mark- you spoil us!!! Greatest Boss Ever. No doubt.

Cheers!

Megan

Kilkenn-ya get me another PINT!!

We made it to Kilkenny after a short delay- but we worked fast and furious to make up for it! We arrived at 12:30 and we had an audience at 7:30- there was no time to waste!!! Our good friends Maurice and DJ were in great form, and helped us all get it together fast as humanly possible.  We opened to over 140 people, on a stage that holds a lot of history- for our company inparticular…

One fateful night, after an incredible performance of The Glass Menagerie, the cast took their bows and Mark Rhea took a knee…to propose to his ever lovely future wife, (now) Susan Marie Rhea.  The women of Kilkenny were awed and the men of Kilkenny were kicking themselves- who could compete with THAT?!  The newly engaged couple gave a radio interview and were featured in an Irish magazine right under Madonna!! Twas the proposal heard round the world!! Or, well, island.

We had three great nights of performances in Kilkenny and then we got three days off in this medieval city known as the “Paris of Ireland”.  There was so much to do and be seen!! The castle, pubs, the craft gallery, pubs, the Smithwicks brewery, the pub INSIDE the Smithwick’s Brewery…I think we may have hit one more pub in there somewhere….And we were joined by Maurice- who misses you Dan!- and our good friend DJ for some awesome jam sessions.  KJDJ- the new, acoustic ACDC, with lots more variety.

We also went out to a lovely tour "family" dinner at Langton's, where Mark Rhea treates us to some fabulous upscale dining! Thank you, Mark! (Best Irish Meal Yet!!!)

Sadly, Kilkenny is also where we said goodbye to Brother Joe, and Steve “Shiny” Shaw.  Our tour family is not whole without you!!!

Check out Facebook soon for pictures!!!

Monaghan aghan and aghan!

It’s always great to come back to Monaghan! 

Charlie and Christa at Garage Theatre are always wonderful to work with, the crowds are always lively, and we have so many wonderful friends who come to see the show and hang out with us every time we return- Peter and Larry especially!!

The Garage Theatre is a fantastic little black box space, but Charlie told us that soon they will be opening a new, larger theater! Hopefully we will get to enjoy it on future tours!  We only did one show in Monaghan- Load in, hang and focus, performance, and load out all in less than 12 hours- we’re kicking a$$ and taking names to say the least!  A good night’s sleep at our fantastic 4-star accommodations at the Hillgrove Hotel certainly helped ;)

After the show we hung out with some of our local friends at Terry’s- we enjoyed drink, revelry and an atmosphere of lively and, sometimes, singing patrons!  We were serenaded many a time (though between you and me and the internet, it was totally all directed at Larissa- must be hard to wake up every morning a hot blonde).  

The next morning we made the long haul to Kilkenny…but no morning would be complete without a flat tire!! The vans were ok, but Joe Rhea’s rental car, lovingly dubbed “the air chicken”, was delayed.  And so we hit the road to Kilkenny!!

And THIS is how we got to a 4-Star Hotel in Monaghan

Please excuse the delay- we’ve managed to pack a lot into just a few days!
Cork was so wonderful. When the show was up on its feet comfortably, some of the company took the opportunity for some touristy adventures. Larissa’s husband Ed, who caught up with us the Sunday after we arrived, has been such a joy to have around! Not only did he and Larissa rent a car for some of our farther day trips, he also attended every performance, bought celebratory rounds at the pubs for everyone AND helped us strike the set! Thanks, Ed!

We all took a trip to Blarney Castle, walked the beautiful grounds, kissed the stone and enjoyed some super-special Blarney moments. If you haven’t kissed the Blarney stone, or heard how it’s done, you may be in for a surprise- you really have to work for that “gift of gab” that it promises!! You must walk to the tippity-top of the castle (about 6 stories up), lean backwards into a hole with nothing but air between you and the ground, steady yourself against the opposite wall, and while upside down and dangling at a great height- lay a good, old wet-one on some ancient rock. Winston Churchill and Cary Grant have both kissed the Blarney stone- and if you take out the rock we all totally kissed them both. How’s that for variety!

Ed and Larissa toured the Ring of Bereagh in a long car trip and saw some wonderful countryside. They will also happily recommend where NOT to stop for lunch. We made it out to Midleton to the Jameson Distillery and saw the work that went into that lovely, amber liquor Kevin loves so much and, of course, some good old triple distilled Irish Whisky. KJ was even handpicked to be a whisky taster! He’s very proud of his recently acquired diploma. Then we were off to Cobh, also known and Cove, also known as Queenstown when the Titanic left there for its maiden voyage oh-so-many years ago. It ended up being a short trip, as the story goes- it left Queenstown on April 11th and sparred with an iceberg on the 14th. (Iceberg won that round, didn’t he love?) The Titanic was not the only ship that sailed out of Queenstown- ships that carried prisoners to Australia and emigrants to America and Canada from Ireland left port there as well. During the Great Potato Famine, American ships docked there to supply whatever food they could to the starving Irish.

In the town of Cork, we made a trip to the Cork County Gaol (jail) and witnessed firsthand all of the bleak, barren comforts it had to offer and took in some of the rich history of its inhabitants- faces you may not see in your history books and stories you would never hear. Poor, political and (mostly) female- Cork County Gaol housed them all.

We enjoyed so many pubs in Cork, but none treated us as well as Phillip and his staff at The Shelbourne. They were so warm, welcoming and wonderful in so many ways! We were their loyal patrons and they were ours- Phillip and his wife, and most of the bar staff came to enjoy Fool For Love.

However- no one treated us better than the gents at The Everyman Palace Theatre. Mark, the technical director, Brian, Sean, Colin and Joe were all so fantastic to work with. They truly made our first stop on this tour one to remember fondly. We hope to see them all next year! Just to give you an example of how great they are; Colin and Joe even surprised the stage manager with a gift! A lovely, green-striped polo with a shamrock emblem- which she immediately put on and showed-off to everyone.

We did not all leave Cork unscathed. KJ dislocated his shoulder during load out, trying to lift a too heavy door/flat- the same shoulder he dislocated during the Cuckoo’s Nest tour. He’s just fine, in a sling with plenty of meds and we’re taking good care of him just as much as we’re giving him s#*t.

We were all sad to leave Cork but enthusiastic for our next stop: Listowel. A Keegan Ireland Tour first!!! The theater is a converted church in the center of this quaint-and-country small town, known as St John’s Theatre and Cultural center. It is a much smaller venue than the Everyman Palace, but we were excited to bring this gripping piece of drama front and center. The real treat here was John B Keane’s Pub. Yes- THE John B Keane, the late playwright extraordinaire who penned such marvelous works as The Field, Big Maggie and The Sive (to name a few). He wrote all of his plays in his home above the pub, which still belongs to his family. His wife and his son Billy, who is also a writer in his own right, still keep the place lively. We were so delighted to be able to spend time with them and they happily spread the word about the show-which they also attended!!! John B Keane’s wife invited us back to the pub after the show and made us all egg salad and ham sandwiches and shared lovely stories about their life and John’s work as a playwright. We heard other fantastic tales from their patrons as well on the topics of the IRA, prison escapes, Getaway Cabs and “Bog Snorkeling”- if you want to hear more about these all you have to do is ask!!!

Listowel was a quick stop- Arrive, PUB, load in, show, load out, PUB- but we enjoyed it immensely. Many thanks to Joe and Trish at St John’s, and special thanks to Mrs John B Keane and Billy Keane for their hospitality and support.

We were off on the 4.5 hour drive to Monaghan at 11:30 and arrived to fantastic 4 star accommodations. Hillgrove Hotel. Holy-Wow.

***There will be a picture update on this blog SOON- it's difficult to find a strong wireless signal in Ireland- I'll find a leprechaun first, I'm sure...***

This is a blog, not a book so- until next time- Cheers!

Love,

Meg

An INCREDIBLE Opening Night at the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork!

From the moment we gathered at the theater at 3:30pm for our final dress rehearsal, the air was filled with the electricity of the perfect blend of excitement and anticipation- Opening Night was upon us.  After an excellent last dress the company was chomping at the bit to do it again- this time for our first Irish audience of the 2010 tour.  We tried busying ourselves with menial tasks like breathing, eating, (some of us smoking), checking our email...nothing could distract us. We. Were. READY.

We returned to the historic theatre where so many actors had walked the boards with the same nervous energy pulsing through their veins, awaiting the masses that would soon become an integral part of a piece of art held so closely to our hearts and minds for so long.  This play that had consumed our thoughts, time and passion; that had travelled thousands of miles with us, across land and sea, to be shared in the beautiful, communal ceremony that is live theatre... was finally ready for that moment.

We gathered on stage for some final love, and even a picture or two.  Then the actors returned to their dressing rooms and the house was open.  A vibrant and excited crowd filled the theatre- over 250 people on a Monday night- finding their seats, memorizing thier programs, chatting excitedly with their friends about what was about to happen.

The lights went down. Merl Haggard sang through the dark hallowed venue. The stage lights went up. The play began.

They adored us.  They clung to every word, laughed whole-heartedly and clapped and cheered for an encore- we had to extend the bows!!!

Speaking strictly as a stage manager who must watch this same play for weeks on end- there wasn't a show anywhere else in Ireland more deserving of the love and adoration Keegan's Fool for Love recieved on that night.

But now what you're really waiting for...Production Photos!