Hi guys. This is Erin, the unpaid intern here. Inspired by the crushed velveteen self-portrait of Jett as a sad clown (which even sports a bit of bling with a solitary cubic zirconium tear frozen on his cheek) that now adorns the wall of his new flophouse, I thought I might partake in a little self-indulgent whining regarding the fact that no one cares about my pithy and informative postings on what to do in Belfast. And then, I thought better of it. So, while I can’t vouch for the substantive quality of all of these events, this is what sparkled in a quick perusal of what’s on in Belfast this week.
Friday, February 23. Lyric Theatre. This weekend is your last chance to watch this creative cross-dressing interpretation of the Shakespearean comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. The all-male cast camps it up in costume jewelry and cloaks, offering a fascinating portray of gender roles and repressed sexuality in 16th century Sicily.
Queens Film Theatre. QFT kicks off its “Stella Artois Oscars Fever” season, which runs from Friday the 23rd until Thursday, March 22nd with Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima. The film, nominated for four Oscars, is on at 6:30 and 9:30.
The Front Page. Winning my own prize for the most cryptic suggestion of the week, I saw a flyer with an abstract picture of a fish advertising something that looked intriguing at the Front Page on Friday the 23rd. I don’t know when it starts or what it is. I can’t tell you anymore than it looked like it could be weird and wacky so if you’re looking for a surprise, go to The Front Page at an undetermined time.
Saturday, February 24. The Empire. I’m a sucker for both alliteration and bands that rip off 80s metal. As I was leafing through the latest edition of Fast and Modified Magazine, the following description caught my eye: “Not many bands deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as the mighty Guns and Roses and AC/DD, never mind be compared to them, but Rattlesnake Remedy certainly do.” With the Fast and Modified seal of approval, there’s no excuse to not check out Rattlesnake Remedy at the Empire. Doors open at 8:30.
Sunday, February 25. The Black Box. While I mentioned this show in the last entry, this man deserves the repetition. You may have heard his work on Scrubs or been wowed by his solo acoustic album, aptly entitled Man @ Work. That’s right, the man who comes from the land down under himself, Colin Hay at the Black Box, 8 pm.
You can enjoy the Belfast art scene on Monday and Tuesday. The Eikon art exhibit, based on the five uplifting coordinates of Ikon—iconic, apocalyptic, heretical, emerging, and failing—is in the Gallery Space at the Waterfront Hall until Wednesday, February 28th. The portrayal of the religious landscape of Northern Ireland as a monopoly board is worth the trip alone.
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be a gay Indian man living in Europe, the photography of Sunil Gupta might shed some light on this issue and much more. Two of his exhibitions, Homelands and Tales of a City are on display at Belfast Exposed until March 23.
Wednesday, February 28th. Northern Ireland’s own Duke Special is playing at the Ulster Hall. If you can’t afford the fourteen pounds to hear Duke’s dulcet tones, you can saunter down to the Queens Student Union for what Eddie Mullan of Future Shorts assures us will be an evening of cutting edge entertainment. We think that means short films but you’ll have to see for yourself to be sure.
And finally…
Thursday, March 1. The Black Box. Just what you needed to get your March going with a bang—a one woman show on running which tells the story of four female runners and a man who vaguely resembles Tony Soprano. What’s not to love? When to Run is at the Black Box sometime on Thursday. It didn’t say when but I’m assuming it follows the open mike night entitled “Fresh Meat,” which starts at 6:30. Why not show up early to showcase your talent? Maybe you’ll leave inspired to either create music or run.
And that’s the week in Belfast according to Erin’s ceaseless scoring for fun to be had here in Northern Ireland.
Epilogue...
After further research, I realized that Rattlesnake Remedy was actually here in January. A group called The 4 of Us is at the Empire on Saturday. This band sports neither alliteration nor a positive recommendation from Fast and Modified Magazine. Who knows, though? They might rock.
Hey Erin, I care, really I do. Unfortunately, I am stuck in Kansas. Should I find myself magically swept away to Belfast I should surely love to indulge in the cross-dressing Shakespeare. I also love my 80's hair metal and just last night had to indulge in Def Leppard. Bands that rip off 80's metal would be doubly entertaining. By the way, you are the spitting image of my dear friend Annie. Ask Wayne about her some time. She's hilarous! Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Jama | February 23, 2007 at 11:37 AM
Hey Chantel -
You can see where we're from on the LTA Frappr Map. And while you're there, you can add an entry for yourself!
- Jenny
Posted by: Jenny | February 23, 2007 at 12:27 PM
Sorry, wrong thread.
Posted by: Jenny | February 23, 2007 at 05:00 PM