Someone wholl watch over me is a play written by irish dramatist frank mcguinness. No play has ever looked into irelands past and found there its future with the mix of wit and wisdom, death and despair, life and love, that characterises every line and every corner and every moment of dolly wests kitchen. Someone wholl watch over me, abbey theatre production, 1993 photo. Written by acclaimed irish author frank mcguinness, who earned a tony award nomination for someone wholl watch over me, and received a tony award for best revival in 1997 for a dolls house, gates of gold is an acerbic duel between hilton edwards and miche. The story loosely evokes the reallife kidnapping and. Someone wholl watch over me frank mcguinness youtube. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Inspired by the abduction of brian keenan, taken hostage in lebanon in the 1980s, someone wholl watch over me is playwright frank mcguinness hymn to the defiant power of the human spirit and. The collection also includes mary and lizzie, someone wholl watch over me and dolly wests kitchen, and is introduced by the author. Professor frank mcguinness born 1953 is an irish writer. My readings of selected literary texts in the following chapters elaborate upon the. Someone wholl watch over me, new ambassadors theatre. Frank mcguinness, someone wholl watch over me hot stories video.
Frank mcguinness s 1992 play someone wholl watch over meis an intense and layered study of identity in captivity. Damian mccann, leslie clack, jerry di giacomo in a play by frank mcguinness, directed by patricia kessler at the manufacture des abbesses. As the three men strive for survival they also strive to. Decadent theatre company have revisited one of their acclaimed productions, frank mcguinnesss someone wholl watch over me in a new. The play focuses on the trials and tribulations of an irishman, an englishman and an american edward, michael, and adam who are kidnapped and held hostage by unseen arabs in lebanon. Frank mcguinness, federico garcia lorca, the house of bernarda alba, irish contemporary theatre, irish woman. Someone wholl watch over me by frank mcguinness youtube. Frank mcguinness lee mead productions and chelmsford city theatres cramphorn theatre, chelmsford 10 to 15 june 2019. There came a gypsy riding frank mcguinness 9780571233038. Someone wholl watch over me, focuses on three men, an englishman, an irishman and an american, all being held in a cell in lebanon. The late late show with james corden recommended for you. As well as his own works, which include the factory girls, observe the sons. Contexts for frank mcguinnesss drama, by helen heusner lojek, pp. Someone to watch over me is a song composed by george gershwin with lyrics by ira gershwin from the musical oh, kay.
This revival of someone wholl watch over me comes to us in a. Frank mcguinness the woodcutter and his family the. In someone wholl watch over me, a characters fate is revealed to have changed during an innocent trip to purchase pears for a flan. Lime tree theatre sat, 10th feb 8pm 2018 we are in a decidedly perilous position, to put it mildly. His many plays include the factory girls baglady, observe the sons of ulster marching towards the somme innocence, carthaginians, mary and lizzie, the bread man, someone wholl watch over me, the bird. Someone wholl watch over me written by frank mcguinness. This revival of someone wholl watch over me comes to us in a superlatively cast. He told me that i was the unlucky one, that i should have been fing shot dead too. Adam, an american doctor, edward, an irish journalist,and michael, an english academic, have little to unite them beyond being human.
They have all come to be captive for very different reasons and their cultural differences, at times blend perfectly, whilst at others create wonderfully interesting conflict. Someone wholl watch over me drunk enough productions. This exhibition displays handwritten and typescript drafts of mcguinness s most wellknown and critically acclaimed plays including the factory girls, someone wholl watch over me and observe the sons of ulster marching towards the somme as well drafts of other work such as poems, screenplays and novels. Home page dancing monkey presents someone wholl watch.
Decadent theatre company present someone wholl watch. The play focuses on the trials and tribulations of an irishman. Someone wholl watch over me, new ambassadors theatre, london. Frank mcguinness explores the daily crisis endured by hostages whose strength comes from communication, both subtle and mundane, from humour, wit and faith. Frank mcguinness on james joyces final hours updated monday, 25 sep 2017 14. Woodberry forest school presents someone wholl watch over me this spring, the woodberry forest school advanced acting and directing class will. He is also the author of such celebrated plays as innocence, the factory girls and someone who. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Donegal, and now lives in dublin, where he teaches at university college. He is also the author of such celebrated plays as innocence, the factory girls and someone.
Frank mcguinness plays 2 frank mcguinness 9780571212484. An irishman, an englishman and an american are chained to a wall of a cell in 1980s lebanon. He says it was always clear to him that in theatre you have to fight your corner and you better not try to overplay your hand or not try to indulge. The former involves a woman in a police interrogation room. Someone wholl watch over me, frank mcguinness cathartic, factbased play about three lebanon hostages, is being heroically performed at fort collins bas bleu theatre. Donegal, and now lives in dublin and lectures in english at university college dublin. Despite the overt masculinity of these plays, traces of femininity. Someone wholl watch over me showing at stage iii casper.
Someone wholl watch over me by frank mcguinness goodreads. Performed by peter shipway and adam burd for the hereward college dance and drama showcase on june 19th 2012. His first major success as a playwright was the 1982 production of factory girls. Someone wholl watch over me by frank mcguinness overdrive. Its no wonder frank mcguinnesss someone wholl watch over me has been produced ad infinitum since its premiere in 1992. Mar 04, 2002 frank mcguinness plays 2 includes mary and lizzie, someone wholl watch over me, dolly wests kitchen and the bird sanctuary. Casperites have six more opportunities to catch someone wholl watch over me at stage iii community theatre. The bird sanctuary is published here for the first time. Three civilian hostages an englishman, an irishman, and an american are chained to a prison wall in lebanon, imprisoned by an unseen arab faction. He pointed his rifle at me, cocked it and then asked me my name. Interview with frank mcguinness, interview with carolyne pollard, quarto, winter 198788. From trauma to transformation, death and identity in the. Someone wholl watch over me hawks well theatre sligo.
The play, written by frank mcguinness, is being directed by susan terry. The bird sanctuary contemporary classics kindle edition by mcguinness, frank. In someone wholl watch over me, frank mcguinness explores the daily crisis endured by hostages whose strength comes from communication, both subtle and mundane, as well as from humour, wit and faith. Someone wholl watch over me frank mcguinness macmillan. Directors would kill for more plays like someone wholl watch over me. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Irish theatre institute 17 eustace street, temple bar, dublin 2, d02 f293 tel.
Someone wholl watch over me photocall getty images. Explore books by frank mcguinness with our selection at. From creativity to legacy an exhibition of the archive of frank mcguinness. Janet giltrow for helping me realize greener fields. The factory girls 1984, baglady 1985, observe the sons of ulster marching towards the somme 1985, innocence 1986, carthaginians 1988, mary and lizzie 1989, the bread man 1991, someone wholl watch. An irish journalist, a british professor and an africanamerican doctor are forced to entertain themselves, and each other, to pass the time when they are imprisoned in beirut. Frank mcguinness plays 2 by frank mcguinness overdrive. The play, focusing on the experiences of an irishman, and american and an englishman who are being held hostage in lebanon, was first produced in the early 1990s, when.
Actor jonny lee miller performs during the launch of the production of frank mcguinnesss play someone wholl watch over me at the new ambassadors theatre on april 15, 2005 in london. Frank mcguinness was inspired by brian keenans account of being kidnapped and held for four and a half years through the late 1980s i dont know keenans book an evil cradling, but i presume it was an inspiration for the play, not a source. The setting imposes a distance that stimulates reflection on what it means to be trapped. Drunk enough productions perform the moving and darkly funny play someone wholl watch over me by frank mcguinness. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Adam, an american doctor, edward, an irish journalist,and michael, an english academic, have little to unite them beyond being human in the same small space. Someone wholl watch over me premiered at the hampstead theatre, london, in 1992 before transferring to the west end.
Frank mcguinness was born on july 29, 1953 in buncrana, county donegal, ireland. As well as his own plays, which include the factory girls, observe the sons of ulster marching towards the somme, someone wholl watch over me and dolly wests kitchen, he is recognised for a strong record of adapting literary classics, having translated the plays of racine, sophocles, ibsen, garcia lorca, and strindberg to critical. In this interview, conducted in the summer of 2014, frank mcguinness talks about his introduction to old and middle english as a student in university college dublin and its influence on his writings. The themes of the play are terrorism and kidnapping, cultural bias and conflict, and inevitably the death of the innocent. Frank mcguinness,born on july 29, 1953, in buncrana, donegal, ireland. Frank mcguinnesss 1992 play someone wholl watch over meis an intense and layered study of identity in captivity. Actor jonny lee miller performs during the launch of the production of frank mcguinness s play someone wholl watch over me at the new ambassadors theatre on april 15, 2005 in london. Martyn, james joyce, brian friel, thomas kilroy, frank mcguinness, and jamie.
Someone wholl watch over me is a 1992 play by irish writer frank mcguinness. Frank mcguinness, the awardwinning irish playwright, talks to georgina brown about his new work, someone wholl watch over me. Particular attention is given to his enormously successful play, someone wholl watch over me, which was nominated for two new york critics awards in 1993. Gershwin originally approached the song as an uptempo jazz tune, but his brother ira suggested that it might work much better as a ballad, and george ultimately agreed. Frank mcguinnesss journey from timid donegal boy to. In the explorations on someone wholl watch over me, mcguinness addresses the centrality of music, the difference between heroism and courage, as well as the ways in which the play enabled him to both distance himself from and to engage with the key themes of loneliness, isolation, and endurance that are at the centre of the play. There was once an englishman, an irishman and an american locked up together in a cell in the middle east. The two plays on which i will focus, neil labutes medea redux and frank mcguinnesss someone wholl watch over me, call for quite different casts.
Frank mcguinness, the awardwinning irish playwright, talks to georgina brown about his new work, someone wholl watch over me georgina brown friday 10 july. Buy someone wholl watch over me main by mcguinness, frank isbn. This second collection of frank mcguinness contains his beautifully lyrical plays from 1989 to 1999. Frank mcguinness was born in buncrana, county donegal, in 1953. Frank mcguinnesss 1992 threehander offers both a heightened variation on the old stuckin. Frank mcguinness was inspired by his conversations with keenan to write someone wholl watch over me, a play which is heartrendingly compassionate, tenderly tragic but also uproariously funny. He is a production manager and writer, known for dancing at lughnasa 1998, a short stay in switzerland 2009 and lexx 1996. The play, which tells the story of three men held hostage in the middle east. Synopsis this second collection of works from one of irelands major writers contains mcguinness s plays from 1989 to 1999, including someone wholl watch over me, mary and lizzie and dolly wests kitchen. Frank mcguinness someone wholl watch over me is a script that stands the test of time. He lives in dublin and lectures in english at university college, dublin. Written by frank mcguinness presented by decadent theatre company. Dancing monkey presents is a collective of professional theatre artists from british columbia. Few irish playwrights seem to have a greater sense of the national mood and are more willing to articulate it than frank mcguinness.
He is a writer, known for dancing at lughnasa 1998, a short stay in switzerland 2009 and the stronger 2007. This play is based on true events about three hostages held in lebanon in the 80s, stage iii said. Decadent theatre company presents someone wholl watch over me by frank mcguinness lime tree theatre sat, 10th feb 8pm 2018 we are in a decidedly perilous position, to put it mildly. Thomson 4 stars magnificently performed by an ideal trio of actors, the play is immensely powerful. Frank mcguinness someone wholl watch over me a limited toronto engagement presented by adeona productions starring david ferry, ryan hollyman, and r. With no hope of escape and no contact with the outside world, the three men struggle against despair.
Helen heusner lojek has already published a series of significant articles on frank mcguinnesss plays, and edited the theatre of frank mcguinness. Mar 26, 2015 frank mcguinnesss threehander, someone wholl watch over me, will be performed at an taibhdhearc theatre this saturday night, by the awardwinning dunmore amateur dramatic society dads. Its moving but not challenging, sad but affable, and requires the. The bread man gate, 1991, someone wholl watch over me hampstead, west end and broadway, 1992. My thesis will explore the role of the female director. Damian mccann, leslie clack, jerry di giacomo in a play by frank mcguinness, directed by patricia kessler at the manufacture des abbesses, paris, france, may 6, 2018. Someone wholl watch over me focuses on the trials and tribulations of an irishman, an englishman and an american edward, michael, and adam who are kidnapped and held hostage by unseen arabs in lebanon. They are producing the play someone wholl watch over me by irish playwright, frank mcguinness, from march 6th8th in kamloops and march 12th23rd in vancouver. Dunmore group to stage someone wholl watch over me. His first internationally acclaimed play is the 1985 observe the sons of ulster marching towards the somme. Someone to watch over me sheet music ella fitzgerald. Frank mcguinness, someone wholl watch over me london, 1992. In his 2002 book the full room, dominic dromgoole, who directed a revival of someone in 2005, wrote. As the three men strive for survival they also strive to overcome their personal and nationalistic differences.
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