Michael James Forde, Bewley's impresario
Michael James Forde, artistic director of Bewley's Café Theatre since 1999, has kept the theatre group afloat since the closure of the cafe itself, bringing tours to Glasgow and around Ireland. Now, with the Grafton Street cafe due to re-open, the group is ready to return home.
(Optimists hope the venue will re-open on Monday, though at time of going to press the builders show no signs of imminent departure.) The new Oriental Room will have a little bar, new stage and lighting rig, and a fresh lick of paint. Forde, with Kelly Campbell and singer Susannah de Wrixon, has organised a line-up of jazz on Thursday nights and cabaret on Fridays and Saturdays (9pm, €15). Lunchtime drama will return too. A Finnish comedy, Coming Up Roses, is due to run for the next fortnight (1.10pm, €14 including lunch), and if Bewley's isn't ready audiences will be directed to another venue. Admirably, Forde has managed this while also playing Lord Augustus in the Gate's current production of Lady Windermere's Fan. Bewley's Café Theatre booking: 086-8784001.