Highlights
of my recent cultural adventures
Dear travelling reader,
I’m back from London but already on another trip, this time to Dublin to watch the recent 2k restoration of the first Irish folk horror film, The Outcasts. It was written and directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons in 1982, but broadcast in 1984 as part of Channel 4’s Film on Four series.
In British folk horror circles Wynne-Simmons is best known for writing Blood on Satan’s Claw in 1970 (directed by Piers Haggard), which is considered a core example of the genre. He worked for the BBC and RTÉ in the 1970s and The Outcasts was the first film made for what would become the modern Irish film industry. This is thanks to the creation of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board in 1981, a national development agency for Irish film — which is now known as Screen Ireland / FÃs Éireann.
This new restoration is having a free screening this evening at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Dublin, Ireland’s national cultural institute for film. Here’s the blurb:
‘Set in rural, pre-famine Ireland, a time when poverty and magic were accepted as facts of life, this is the haunting tale of a young girl’s discovery of her own powers through a ‘a wild, ungodly man’ (Mick Lally) and the passage it offers her into a magical world of imagination and beauty. When Maura (Mary Ryan) is accused of witchcraft by her friends and family, she uses her magic as protection against the community.’
The film will be introduced by Irish writer/director Paul Duane, who I met at the Sitges Film Festival when he showed his entry in the Irish folk horror canon: All You Need is Death (2023).
This restoration of The Outcasts is the result of the IFI’s Digital Restoration Project funded by Screen Ireland / FÃs Éireann with support from the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) and the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme.
The reason I’m detailing all of this is to demonstrate the importance of these cultural institutions and their support of creative projects as well as offering venues for the public to encounter these works.
And from my time in London recently, I can attest to the strength of the public’s appetite for art, theatre, film and beauty.
My trip to London at the beginning of December has become an annual pilgrimage of sorts, and one of the reasons I do it is to connect with friends and meet new people. I realised long ago, when I finally determined I should be brave and start writing fiction, that I would have to go outside of Ireland regularly if I wanted to connect with a wider variety of creative people. Those of us who write science fiction/horror/fantasy in various media in Ireland are scattered around the isle. We meet at festivals and conventions, both in our country and beyond it. Most of my good friends in these fields are the result of travelling to these events often. Over time, you hang out together and genuine friendships are cemented. These ‘mates in the creative trenches’ have enriched my life enormously.
This time in London I enjoyed a series of social outings, but another aim of mine is to take advantage of London’s incredible theatre scene. I have a dear friend who is also a theatre aficionado and we usually attend a few events whenever I visit. Considering our interests, it should be no surprise that we tend to favour shows with a genre sensibility.
The Enfield Haunting, in the Ambassadors Theatre, is based on the famous poltergeist case in Enfield, England in 1977, where a working class family, the Hodgsons, were the centre of some explicable and inexplicable events, mostly centred on the two daughters, Janet (14) and Margaret (17). There were BBC TV and radio specials at the time that interviewed the family members, neighbours, and Maurice Grosse, a paranormal investigator. The story was a sensation and appeared in all the newspapers. It’s been the inspiration for numerous films and TV series (for example, Ghostwatch, The Enfield Haunting, and The Conjuring 2)
This stage play, written by Paul Unwin and directed by Angus Jackson, centres on the close relationship that springs up between Grosse and the Hodgsons, especially Peggy Hodgson, played by Catherine Tate (Doctor Who, Queen of Oz) and Grosse, played by David Threlfall (Funny Woman, Shameless). The show runs for 75 minutes without an interval, and features a fantastic set which is a cut-out of a two-story council house from the 1970s.
If you are looking for a serious fight, I don’t think The Enfield Haunting will chill your blood too much, but there are several spectacular scenes when the ghost decides to play havoc with the family, and it has many eerie moments. All the cast are excellent, and the two daughters Janet (Ella Schrey-Yeats) and Margaret (Grace Molony) put in vivid, believable performances as teenaged girls who play up to all the attention… until it gets serious.
And who doesn’t like a good science fiction comedy? The Time Machine: A Comedy in on at the Park Theatre. It is written by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, and directed by Orla O’Loughlin. The story is loosely inspired by the life of HG Wells and his novel of the same name.
The Park Theatre is small but well proportioned and perfect for this kind of freewheeling comedy in which three energetic and dynamic actors command the stage with convincing and convivial performances: Michael Dylan (Wilf), Dave Hearn (BBC’s The Goes Wrong Show) and Amy Revelle (Offside). The audience is tight against the stage, which is handy since there is a certain amount of participation. I’m often in fear of being picked in those situations, but the cast were incredibly affable and adapted with warmth to everyone they called up for brief cameos.
After the first act I thought it was a solid and enjoyable show, but the second act shot off into unusual directions with verve and hilarious conviction. This is a excellent night out for anyone who loves comedy (and Cher songs) and doesn’t mind if they are called upon to answer a question during the set. If you get a chance don’t miss this gem.
Who would consider adapting Edward Scissorhands — a 1990 American gothic romance film written by Caroline Thompson and directed by Tim Burton — into a ballet? Michael Bourne, of course.1 Bourne is a British choreographer known for his re-inventions and adaptations of famous ballets and other material. I’d previously seen his version of The Red Shoes and Sleeping Beauty at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and had been wowed by both. While I had no idea how it would work, by this point I was certain Bourne would deliver a memorable work2.
I was not disappointed. Everything is perfection: the sets, the costumes, the transitions between scenes that keeps the story flowing, the choreography, mesmerising set pieces, and strong performances by the entire ensemble. After a particularly breath-taking section in which the dancers were depicting multiple stories a person behind me declared, ‘That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life!’
Brourne has a genius for establishing environments and characters within moments, and the only problem you’ll have is trying to keep your eyes on all the vignettes that are playing out at any one time.
I make no claim to be a ballet expert, so those who know the form intimately might have different opinions of the piece, but as a theatrical work it is both entertaining and memorable.
The entire cast is wonderful, but Irish-born Stephen Murray as Edward is tremendous — to dance with hands weighed down with long extensions must be an incredible challenge. The entire poignant story must be clear without words, and the cast delivers with precise and clear performances. I was continually struck by their talent as actors.
I managed to squeeze in a couple of other cultural excursions (and some shopping) while in London, and no doubt I’ll attempt to do something extra while I’m in Dublin. This reminded me that I’m often remiss in paying attention to my theatres in local cities.
It’s funny how you optimise your experience while away, but forget about the possibilities when you are at home. Did I enjoy every cultural opportunity available when I lived in New York and Dublin? Of course not.
But in 2024 I’m going to try and widen my cultural diet to include more theatre more often. It’s an art-form I love (and for which I’ve written), and when it’s powerful, it inspires and galvanises my spirit.
It features new music and arrangements by Terry Davies, which are based on themes from the original motion picture score composed by Danny Elfman. Thompson and Elfman helped adapt the film to the dance stage. The story has shifted from the 1980s to the 1950s.
The work premiered in 2005 at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre.