March at the Opera House

Brendan Grace – Thursday 5^th March

Amazing Grace is a catch phrase often applied to Brendan Grace and is indeed very true in many respects. The genial and much loved family comedian is celebrating 42 years in the comedy business and is now more popular than at any time in his career to date and what an illustrious career that has been. Brendan’s latest show features some brand new material and some ‘Old Favourites’ from his vast repertoire.

Brendan has a very special bond with Irish audiences and is much loved by young and old not least because he gives very generously of his time after each concert. The ‘Meet and Greet’ is now very much part and parcel of the evening.

Cork Orchestral Society presents ‘Revolting Rhymes’ – Thursday 12^th March, 4pm

Join the members of Quercus Ensemble on-stage at Cork Opera House!  Quercus Ensemble draws together some of Ireland and the UK’s finest musicians to present dynamic and engaging performances of classical and contemporary music. This production, which features 12 musicians and a narrator, offers a wonderful opportunity for children to experience live music and to meet the performers and their instruments.

Roald Dahl’s Three Little Pigs is a musical story telling event for all the family. Come along and experience this fantastic musical adaptation by the composer Paul Patterson, of Roald Dahl’s dark and funny take on the traditional fairy tale.

National Theatre Live – Of Mice & Men – Thursday 12^th March, 7pm

Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee James Franco (127 Hours, Milk) and Tony Award nominee Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Girls) star in the hit Broadway production Of Mice And Men, filmed on stage by National Theatre Live. This landmark revival of Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck’s play is a powerful portrait of the American spirit and a heart-breaking testament to the bonds of friendship.

Of Mice and Men is directed by Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circles award winner Anna D. Shapiro (Broadway’s August: Osage County) and features Leighton Meester (Country Strong, Gossip Girl) and Tony Award winner Jim Norton (The Seafarer). The production was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Chris O’Dowd.

Kilfenora Ceili Band – Saturday 14^th March

The world-renowned Kilfenora Céilí Band is seen by many aficionados as the quintessential Irish céilí band. Their core repertoire of dance music, punctuated with an incomparable lift and rhythm, defines an unbroken tradition that dates from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Formed 100 years ago, the Kilfenora Band is known for their longevity. The Kilfenora motto in the early years was ‘You don’t play to be listened to. You play to be danced to’. That is the distinctive aspect of Kilfenora music. It’s all about lift and rhythm. Under the leadership of John Lynch, the current ensemble has sold out the Irish National Concert Hall in Dublin and they’re regulars at the major festivals such as Glastonbury and Milwaukee Irish Fest.

Damien Dempsey – Saturday 21^st March, 8pm

Cork Opera House is delighted to welcome Damien Dempsey back to Cork for a gig that covers some the best songs of his career. So how do you describe Damien Dempsey’s music to someone who hasn’t yet been exposed to it? Take some reggae, fuse it with traditional Irish music, add in rock and folk and put it all through a grounded working class worldly aware yet caring consciousness and you’re some bit of the way there.

Damien is an award-winning artist, having won several prestigious Irish Meteor Awards including Best Irish Male and Best Traditional Folk Award. His albums have topped the charts and gone Platinum, and he has been lauded by, among others, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Billboard, MOJO and The Sunday Times.

The Definitive Rat Pack – Sunday 22^nd March, 8pm

The Definitive Rat Pack are best known as the original members of the West- End smash hit ‘The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas’ who have created their own more personal show. Stephen Triffitt, George Daniel Long & Mark Adams have entertained and thrilled audiences worldwide with their homage to that bygone golden era when Frank, Dean & Sammy ruled show-business.

For their Cork Opera House show, they will be joined by the Eugene McCarthy Big Band, some of the finest musicians in the industry and by the three delectable Gold Diggers to perform such classic hits as: Fly Me To The Moon, Chicago, Angel Eyes, That’s Amore, Ain’t That A Kick In The Head, Everybody Loves Somebody, Mr. Bojangles, What Kind of Fool, Sam’s Song, Where or When and many, many more.

National Theatre Live – A View From the Bridge – Friday 27^th March, 8pm

Don’t miss a stellar cast led by Mark Strong (The Imitation Game; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) in the Young Vic’s ‘magnetic, electrifying, astonishingly bold production of A View from the Bridge – the Evening Standard, Guardian and Independent’s top theatre pick of 2014.

The great Arthur Miller confronts the American dream in this dark and passionate tale. In Brooklyn, longshoreman Eddie Carbone welcomes his Sicilian cousins to the land of freedom. But when one of them falls for his beautiful niece, they discover that freedom comes at a price. Eddie’s jealous mistrust exposes a deep, unspeakable secret – one that drives him to commit the ultimate betrayal.

The visionary Ivo van Hove directs this stunning production of Miller’s tragic masterpiece, broadcast from London’s West End by National Theatre Live.