Kildare crew stage magical Gaiety show
Rebecca Storm pictured with Helen Spring and Carol Gleeson at the press night of "Are Ya Dancin'? at the Gaiety Theatre Photo: Aishling Conway
A PLAY set in 1960’s Donegal, with a strong Kildare influence, went down a treat this past week at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Carol Gleeson and Helen Spring’s “Are Ya Dancin’?” offered audiences a chance to travel back to the 1960’s with a vibrant, energetic production centred around the showband era.
Naas women Carol and Helen wrote and produced the play and also star as Mary McDaid and Sarah Hartie. They were not the only Kildare actors on show, with Leixlip’s Seán MacMathúna starring as crooner Tommy O’Neill, and grumpy barman Seamie McDaid being played by Paul Mescal Senior.
The storyline centres around Tommy, a shy young man who is new to the town of Killybegs. He reluctantly finds himself coaxed into the role of frontman for up-and-coming local showband “The Stormers”. As the band goes from strength to strength and tour around the country, Tommy’s personal life takes a challenging turn, reflecting the oppressive society of the time.
The music, dance and costumes are the main strongpoints of the production, but it also doesn’t shy away from the reality of the stranglehold that traditional, conservative Catholic values had on the Ireland of the time. The local priest, played by Brian O’Gorman, lurks around the ballroom whilst The Stormers perform, ensuring that young men and women keep in line with the teachings of the church. There is a darkness to the play in this sense but also plenty of lightness and humour.
This more serious side becomes more apparent after the interval, with themes such as homophobia, infidelity, misogyny, alcoholism and emigration all touched upon, making for impactful viewing.
One of the most impressive elements of the production is the live seven-piece band. They perform classic hits from the time such as , , and . Along with the band, there are twelve actors and fourteen dancers. A low-key affair, this is not. Choreography comes from Kildare dance instructor Deirdre Browne, whilst Newbridge’s Owen C. Lynch serves as voice coach. Clane’s Dave McGauran lead’s the show’s show-stopping live band as musical director.
The Gaiety run attracted great crowd from Kildare and beyond.
Among the familiar faces enjoying the performance were Rebecca Storm, Adele King, Helen Jordan, Senator Aubrey McCarthy, Gearóid Farrelly, Rob Murphy, Alan McGrath and the Gaiety's own panto favourite Joe Conlon. Jason Rock, son of showband legend Dickie Rock, was also in attendance, alongside several well-known figures from Ireland's golden showband years.
Carol and Helen formed A Likely Story Productions in 2016 and have amassed extensive experience in the industry. The show was first performed at the Moat Theatre in Naas in 2018, before expanding to regional venues such as the Visual in Carlow and the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny. Having previously brought the show to the Olympia, they are ambitious and recently mentioned in an interview that they would like to take the show to UK and US. Based on the rapturous reception from the crowd at the Gaiety, they have every change of succeeding with such plans.
