Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
Written by Frank McGuinness, based on a play by Brien Friel.
Directed by Pat O’Connor

Sydney Festival’s Artistic Director Fergus Linehan will introduce the film and discusses Friel’s work in this year’s Festival.

In the turbulent times of 1936, the five unmarried Mundy sisters live in a modest croft at the heart of a rugged farm outside Ballybeg, a small town in Donegal.

The imperious teacher Kate (Meryl Streep), the irreverent big-hearted keeper of the hearth Maggie (Kathy Burke), the serene familial rudder Agnes (Brid Brennan), the sweetly eccentric and simple-minded Rose (Sophie Thompson) and the lonely romantic Christina (Catherine McCormack), who has creased the family reputation with an illegitimate son; all are heavenly bodies revolving around the 8-year old love child, Michael (Darrell Johnston).

Michael eloquently recalls that fateful summer in 1936, when routine life was changed forever by the return of two men to their lives. He remembers a family to whom fate has dealt a severe blow. Memories of love, loss and of the women dancing in a final celebration of life before it changed forever.

Rated PG. Contains adult themes, low level coarse language.

Dancing at Lughnasa is playing as part of Festival Flicks. Other events in this series include Iag Bari - Brass on Fire and Once.

Three of Brian Friel's plays - Faith Healer, Afterplay and The Yalta Game - are presented in the Gate Theatre's Gate-Friel, a celebration of the work of Brian Friel.

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WHAT THE PRESS SAID

"Whenever an Irish dramatist writes a great play, or even a not-so-great one, habit demands that non-Irish audiences fall all over themselves praising the writer's poetic command of the English language. Those audiences may be in for a shock at 'Dancing at Lughnasa', Brian Friel's new play at the Plymouth Theater, for its overwhelming power has almost nothing to do with beautiful words ... more" - The NY Times

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COMMENTS

Lee Cooper 15/01/09

Extremely disappointed with the unavailability of tickets for Dancing at Lughnasa at Dendy Opera which has only ONE screening! Sold out and I suggest another screening.

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paula havey 17/01/09

also extremely dissappointed. What's the story with only one screening?!

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Marie McMillan 18/01/09

Dendy Opera Quay answering service malfunctioning!!! Impossible to get through.

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Mary Tang 19/01/09

Can a constellation of stars shine equally bright? Each performance in this tragedy is a gem yet not one upstaged another. I was compelled to feel for each character, even for Kate (Meryl Streep), the bully (or 'gender', as she was called).

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Helen Egan 22/01/09

Please I agree, would love - more screenings- Roseville or Walker St Nth Sydney Independent cinemas if Dendy don;t want to.

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