Theatre Nights: Dad Gags, opera, drama, and more..

It is spring at last here in Ireland! 

At the Everyman, they are kicking off in fine style with a great range of events.

Tonight, it’s Janácek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, presented by Irish National Opera, while tomorrow and Saturday night we have joyful nostalgia all the way with Thank You For The Music, that smash hit tribute to Abba. (Friday is fully booked, but there are still a few tickets for Saturday.)

From Wednesday to Saturday, February 11-14, something really special from the BA in Musical Theatre group at the School of Music with Come From Away.

On that fateful 9/11, the whole world seemed to come to a halt, but in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, suddenly on the receiving end of 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers, the people opened their homes, their hearts, and lives to strangers from all over the world.

Come From Away is the Tony Award–winning musical that captures the breathtaking true story of compassion and connection in the darkest of times, with a vibrant score that fuses Celtic-inspired melodies and foot-stomping rhythms, and a script that moves seamlessly between laughter and tears. 7.30pm start. 021 450 1673 or www.everymancork.com.

Only a very few tickets left for Nathan Carter at the Opera House tonight, but if you aren’t lucky, they have managed to get a second date of him for April 25.

This Saturday, February 7, Sinead Sheppard’s School of Performing Arts celebrates 20 years of success with a big birthday bash involving dance, song, and musical theatre. 7.30pm start.

The venue has a Bay City Rollers tribute show next Wednesday, but The High Kings on Thursday are already sold out.

Get checking the Opera House programme well ahead! 021 427 0022 or www.corkoperahouse.ie.

Hannah Moscovitch’s award-winning three-hander, Infinity, is drawing great houses at Cork Arts Theatre, where it runs to Saturday, February 14. Directed by Julie Kelleher, it’s the tale of three very different people: a mathematician trying to solve the problem of love, plus a physicist and a musician who must work out how to make a life and family together. 8pm, with matinees this Saturday and next. Call 021 450 5624 or see www.corkartstheatre.com.

A big night at City Limits - The Comedy Club tomorrow, in aid of the Kids’ Club at CUH. Dad Gags Live with KC and Ruairi of RedFM will present special guests Chris Kent and Sinead Quinlan.

You will know Chris from The Young Offenders and Sharon Horgan’s Women On The Verge. Other television appearances include, the RTÉ 2 panel show Next Year’s News, and The Craig Doyle Show. In the UK, he has appeared on Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central for Comedy Central.

And of course Cork’s own Sinead Quinlan needs no introduction as either a comedian or as a presenter on Red FM’s Good Times. Doors 7.30pm, show 8pm. www.tickets.ie or 085 257 3480.

Bookings have just opened for the Finding A Voice Festival 2026, which runs in Clonmel from March 5-8. This event celebrates the brilliance and diversity of women composers across history, and over the past nine years has featured music by wonderful artists, from the 12th-century nun, Hildegard of Bingen, to newly-commissioned works by Irish composers.

The 2026 programme offers a rich, varied programme of live performances, workshops, talks, and more. Further details and tickets, www.findingavoice.ie

Finally, Music Network present a great programme on Friday, February 13 at Ionad Cultúrtha in Ballyvourney. Accordion maestro Dermot Byrne, legendary fiddler and member of the iconic Bothy Band Kevin Burke, acclaimed singer-songwriter Noriana Kennedy (The Whileaways), and lauded guitarist Jim Murray, all in one place! 8pm. Tickets on 026 45781 or eolas@ionadculturtha.ie.