Monday, 23 March 2009
Yes, you read that correctly… not The Wall On Broadway, but The Wall in Galway! Roger Waters hasn’t changed plans for the location of his long awaited theatrical production of the 1979 opus, but he has approved a performance of the piece being held in Ireland this week that will benefit a pair of charities.
Galway’s Genesis Theatre Group are presenting a stage adaptation of Pink’s story in Leisureland from Thursday to Saturday (March 26th to 28th) at 8.30pm. With elaborate staging, and a large number of performers, it should be an absorbing show.
The producer, Seán Ó Máille, said that The Wall “resonated with my own life very closely. Looking at the film was like looking at my life on the screen. When I saw the performance The Wall in Berlin, in 1990, I thought it would be a great idea to do it as a stage show. The idea has stayed with me since and as this is the 30th anniversary I thought ‘Let’s do it’.”
They got in contact with us, and we put them in contact with Roger via his manager. “I wrote to him, telling him about the company, what we wanted to do, and how I felt The Wall resonated with my life. It took three months to get a response but he gave it the rubber stamp. He said ‘Go for it’ and it’s nice to get that validation. His letter to me is framed and on my wall.”
The show includes a 28-piece choir, The Bricks, along with a children’s choir for ‘Another Brick’. With projections, short films, Gerald Scarfe’s animations and a ten-foot high wall being constructed, along with some other things to help tell the story, they should be interesting performances.
“I think it will move people,” Seán said, “and because of the themes it deals with, the show will be making a donation to Console and The Samaritans.” Console is a Registered Charity supporting and helping people bereaved through suicide.
Tickets are €30/25 plus booking fee and are available now from Zhivago, Shop Street. For more details, visit www.genesistheatregroup.com.