I went to see Prima Facie in the Gaiety with Jodie Comer. I was not Jodie Comer conscious before this but that was a quite extraordinary one-woman show. I think it was honestly the most impressive acting I have ever seen in my life. Difficult themes though – sexual assault and how it is treated in the courts.
I saw Eureka Day in the Gate. Philippa Dunne who plays Anne in Motherland was in it. She was good and somehow like her character in Motherland and also not. It’s set in a very right on school community in California and that provides some laughs. It was not entirely a comedy but enjoyable overall.
A colleague recommended Chengdu hotpot restaurant in Capel Street as a dining experience and I was curious. Mr. Waffle, middle child and I went along to investigate. The food was delicious but I thought I would like cooking my own food but definitely not. Also the table was like a crime scene by the time we had finished. Middle child said that we were the least adept people with chopsticks on the planet. Possibly true.
Mr. Waffle and I went to Newbridge House where we used to go a lot when the kids were small. The house tour is entertaining. The outdoor attractions were slightly waterlogged. I felt very sorry for these llamas.
I offer you Mr. Waffle’s witticism by way of caption, “Alpaca raincoat next time”. Mr. Waffle also dug out this picture from our time in Argentina of where the llamas should be enjoying themselves.
We saw Twinless in the cinema. It’s about the death of a twin. It’s supposed to be funnyish but it was a bit excruciating. Interesting in places and also funny in places but I wouldn’t totally recommend. My enjoyment was not helped by forgetting my glasses. Even though we were in row 2 and the director favoured an in-your-face kind of shot, I can’t say everything was as clear as I would have liked. And then a very smelly man sat in front of me. The blind, malodorous viewing experience may have affected my overall rating here.
Mr. Waffle booked us tickets to see Fair Deal in the Peacock. We went on a Monday. As we cycled in dolefully, I think we were both wondering why on earth we were going to this on a Monday of all days. I had understood it was about the fair deal nursing home scheme (you don’t need to know) and posed complex moral questions. It was, at a headline level, about the scheme but no complex moral questions were posed. It was a farce, it was hilarious and I loved it. So did all the pensioners in the audience (Monday night appears to be pensioners’ night in the theatre; we had a significant impact on the age and gender balance in the theatre). If you’ve watched the Walsh Sisters, the actress who plays Rachel in it is a woman called Caroline Menton; she’s in this too. And very good she is too as are the two other main actors (there’s a fourth actor who only has a bit part who’s a bit weaker). Highly recommended.
We’ve started watching How to get to Heaven from Belfast on Netflix. It’s been the subject of mixed reviews but I’m really enjoying it. There was a Slate podcast on it and because I’m watching it, I thought I’d have a listen. The American host referred to the actresses Sinéad Keenan (Shinaid) and Caoilfhionn Dunne (Keelan) and pronounced their names perfectly. I was pretty impressed, in fairness to him. But then he mentioned Roisin Gallagher (Rosheen Gallaher – the g is silent, I promise you, never mind what you know about Oasis) and called her Roy Sin Galla Ger. Two out of three ain’t bad, I guess. It’s funny though because in the show Roisin Gallagher’s character is called Saoirse (pronunciation varies but Seersha would be pretty common) and there’s a joke where an English woman addresses her as Srshly and the character says, “Really, Srshly?”
Last night Mr Waffle and I went to a supper club in a big house in north county Dublin. It felt slightly like a work dinner – nice food, beautiful setting, beautifully laid table with a centrepiece involving, inter alia, two taxidermied pheasants, but a lot of mingling and chatting to strangers. If we went again, we’d bring some friends. But overall an interesting and broadly positive experience.
And finally today, I saw these bronze heads that are installed on Grand Canal Quay. You really have to see them to appreciate them but I thought they were fantastic. Strongly recommended.
Seen anything good yourself?