Get yourself to The Helix Theatre for The Wizard Of Oz which runs from Wednesday, December 19th, to Saturday, December 22nd, and check out this interesting variation of the classic old film. Read our guide to this family event with details on the show, how to get to The Helix and if you’re visiting Dublin for the night we’ve even sussed out a few Dublin hotels in the area.
The Helix Theatre is part of the Dublin City University Campus in Glasnevin. This is in North Dublin and can be easily accessed from O’Connell Street or from the M50 for those travelling from outside of Dublin.
If you’re travelling from Dublin city centre then you can either drive or take the bus. When driving you can take the N1 north towards Drumcondra. Continue on towards the M1 until you get to the junction at Whitehall. Here you can turn left onto Collins Avenue and as you drive along this street you should see DCU on the left after the St. Aidans CBS. If you’d rather take the bus then you have a number of options as a number of bus routes pass through the city centre on their way out and past the Ballymun entrance to DCU. These bus routes include the 4, 11, 11A, 11B, 13, 13A and 19A.
If travelling from outside Dublin then you simply have to head for Dublin and once you arrive at the M50, you head north until you reach the Ballymun exit (Junction 4). If you’re travelling from Belfast or County Louth then you’ll be travelling south along the M50. Once you make your exit you can drive through Ballymun and turn left at the Collins Avenue/Ballymun Road crossroads (approx 500 meters). At the second set of traffic lights turn right into the entrance for DCU.
L. Frank Baum published the original book The Wizard of Oz in 1900, but it wasn’t until the Judy Garland classic in 1939 that the story became a world classic. Although the original screening was something of a flop, subsequent screenings lead to the film becoming a success. So much so that the film is routinely listed in the top films of all time, and many of its phrases have entered the vernacular such as “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” and “There’s no place like home”.
This presentation of the movie is rather unusual in that, the movie is shown as normal on the big screen with the original singing and talking soundtrack, but with the orchestral music removed. In its place the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conducted by John Wilson, will accompany the movie instead.
On the Wednesday 19th December, Thursday 20th and Friday 21st there will be a showing at 8pm, and on the Saturday 22nd there will be showings at 3pm and 8pm. There are various ticket prices, but there is also a family offer of €120, for 2 adults and 2 kids (seated tickets) in the best seats of the house.
If this once in a lifetime experience sounds like something you’d like to partake in then why not book one of our Dublin hotels and make the journey to Dublin. We have a couple of fine hotels in the vicinity of Glasnevin; these are the 2-Star Sunnybank Hotel and the 3-Star Glasnevin Maples Hotel.
In the neighbouring suburbs there are a few more Dublin hotels as well. There’s the Express By Holiday Inn Dublin Airport in Santry and in Drumcondra there’s the 3-star Regency Hotel and also the luxury Jury’s Croke Park Hotel.
Give us a shout via the comment box below if you’ve any questions about where to stay for The Wizard of Oz. Enjoy the show!
