Latest news with #DanButler
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘The Weir' Review: A Few Pints to Help the Ghost Stories Go Down Easy
There's hardly a better escape from the city's heat right now than the Irish Repertory Theater's excellent staging of 'The Weir,' its fourth since 2013. The company's intimate Chelsea space is blissfully air-conditioned, and Conor McPherson's eerie 1997 drama, set in a rural Ireland of near-empty pubs and howling winds, is appropriately chilly. The production's entire creative team, along with some of the cast, are return players, but there's not a whiff of trotting out the same old. Instead, they render the play's talkative yarns as heartily as a few rounds with old friends. That sense of familiarity (and the awareness that they are such close-knit revivers) even helps the play, which is essentially a hangout piece with a hazy supernatural charge. Its tight 90 minutes track an evening at a pub owned by the 30-something Brendan (Johnny Hopkins), and frequented by the older Jack (Dan Butler) and Jim (John Keating). How regular are their visits? Jack's first move onstage, one he often repeats, is to breeze behind the bar to pour himself a pint. Unlike his also-unmarried patrons, and as played by Hopkins with homey charm, Brendan seems content with his mundane lot but is not yet resigned to it. There's a kinship, then, with the recently arrived Valerie (Sarah Street), who's being shown around town by Finbar (Sean Gormley), an older gent with a self-conscious Ian Fleming style. The men's hospitality, as they fill Valerie in on the area's lore, gradually turns into a series of ghost tales. Through offhand conversational cues ('What was the story with…?' or 'Where was that?'), McPherson is skilled at making reminiscences' jump into communal folklore feel both inevitable and necessary. It's typical campfire fodder — frightened widows and apparitions — and each story can be waved away, chalked up to nerves or having had one too many. But neither McPherson, nor the director Ciarán O'Reilly, leans on obvious spooks, though the production's lighting (by Michael Gottlieb) and sound design (by Drew Levy) supply the requisite dimming lights and stormy hums. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Demons wasteful as Butler fires in Saints' upset win
Dan Butler has booted four goals in his first game of the AFL season to play a crucial role in St Kilda's 28-point upset of a woefully inaccurate Melbourne in Alice Springs. Butler, who has overcome an achilles concern, was the most prolific forward in the Saints' 14.7 (91) to 7.21 (63) victory at Traeger Park on Sunday. Ross Lyon's men banked just their second win in eight weeks, snapping a three-match losing streak and matching Melbourne with a 5-7 record. The Demons failed to put enough pressure on their opponents and kicked themselves out of the contest, scoring 1.12 to the Saints' 5.3 in the second half. Butler found the gap for his fourth!#AFLDeesSaints — AFL (@AFL) June 1, 2025 Butler nailed three first-half goals and St Kilda kicked six of the first seven to open up a 31-point lead before quarter-time, laying the groundwork for their victory. Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera (29 disposals), Jack Sinclair (25), Callum Wilkie (31) and captain Jack Steele (23) were all influential. Marcus Windhager (28 touches) and Zak Jones (20) also got busy while keeping tabs on Demons stars Kysaiah Pickett (12) and Clayton Oliver (16) respectively. Melbourne, who were always playing catch-up, were well-served by Christian Petracca (22 disposals) and Judd McVee (20), while Steven May (21) fought hard to repel the Saints' attacking raids. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera came from the ground following this incident.#AFLDeesSaints — AFL (@AFL) June 1, 2025 Isaac Keeler (three goals) was dangerous with two early majors for the Saints but their hot 6.2 to 2.2 first quarter was tempered by the loss of Mattaes Phillipou to a calf injury. The Saints were also without star playmaker Wanganeen-Milera for most of the second term after a high bump from Aidan Johnson. Johnson, a mature-age draftee, has already been suspended this season and faces further scrutiny for his latest indiscretion. He could have been facing a lengthy ban, but Wanganeen-Milera returned to the action after passing a concussion test. Oliver and Jones niggled each other at stoppages, as did Pickett and Windhager, in a fiery first half. Petracca stood up with two goals in the second term and the Demons cut the margin to 13 points, despite kicking a wasteful 4.7 to 3.2 for the quarter. Again the Dees failed to get bang for buck in the third term, winning the territory battle but failing to make it count on the scoreboard. Butler's fourth goal gave the Saints a 17-point buffer at the final change and it was enough to keep Melbourne at bay.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Dan Butler: Stevenage full-back extends contract with League One club
Stevenage left-back Dan Butler has signed a "new, extended and improved" contract with the League One club. The 30-year-old has made 75 appearances for Boro, 38 of them this season, since arriving for Peterborough United in the summer of 2023. Butler began his career at Portsmouth and has also had spells with Torquay United and Newport County. Stevenage finished 14th this season under boss Alex Revell with 57 points from their 46 games, 11 points clear of the relegation places.
