The award-winning Portlaoise Musical Society celebrates its 25th anniversary this year as it whisks audiences back to 1920s Manhattan with performances of the Broadway classic ‘Guys and Dolls’ in the Dunamaise Arts Centre from November 16 to 23.
The musical comedy which centres on a pair of big city gamblers placing a bet on whether one guy can convince a wholesome pious woman to join him on a weekend rendezvous, was the choice of members.
“The shows have been super so far with sold out crowds and standing ovations every night,” said JJ Tynan, a plasterer and coach of The Heath ‘mothers and others’ team by day and chairperson of Portlaoise Musical Society by night.
Scottish singer and actor Andrew Docherty has the lead role of Nathan Detroit who performs directly opposite Miss Adelaide, Aisling Rohan.
Cormac Malone from Newbridge, in his first time on stage, takes the role of Sky Masterson, playing opposite Portlaoise native, Ciara Finlay, as Sarah Brown in her first leading role with Portlaoise Musical Society.
Art McGauran is back for his second time as director. Mary Rose McNally is musical director. Stephanie Brown is choreographer, in her third year with Portlaoise Musical Society.
Derek Nangle is sound engineer; Nick Anton is on lighting tech; Anthony Kirby is stage manager. Claire Regan is costume mistress. “She has done a fantastic job as can be seen by the fantastic colours and styles on stage,” remarked JJ.
While two children took to the stage last year, there aren’t any involved this year.
However, a cute canine got a walk-on role after being brought to rehearsals by her owner Helen Flynn. Neassa the cockapoo is enjoying her time in the limelight, according to the chairperson.
The entire run of ‘Guys and Dolls’ is dedicated to the late Paul Kenna from Abbeyleix who died suddenly in June.
Paul who is sadly missed by the group, had been cast in the role of Joey Biltmore and only missed a couple of shows over the 25 years, JJ said.
For its 25th anniversary, the cast and members had an input in the choice of musical. “Normally the committee would sit down after the staged production and decide on the show for the coming year,” said JJ.
“This year we threw it open to the cast and all the members because it’s our 25th year. After we got their wish lists, we completed a list of the top five and ‘Guys and Dolls’ came out as the favourite.
“We try to balance the productions from year to year. Last year we performed ‘Made in Dagenham’ which was a very strong female led show.
“One of our biggest strengths has been attracting men. We’re building up a nice few men and are the envy of many musical societies.
“A lot of lads stay away because of nerves or drift away when strong female musicals are selected. About 18 men are involved in this year’s production.”
JJ attributes the society’s success in drawing male members to its policy of doing a mix of shows and its victories in staging ‘Titanic’ in 2019, which included the top award for best overall show for the first time at the Irish Association of Musical Societies annual awards. ”We were able to hold onto the men after that,” he said.
“We have never done the same show twice. There might come a period when we run out of shows but we’re not there yet,” the chairperson said.
“’Guys and Dolls’ is one of the older shows and older audiences like older shows. Portlaoise Age Action block booked Wednesday night for the show which is massive as the Wednesday night can be a struggle to fill.
“We did ‘Sunshine on Leith’ in 2022 in an Irish premiere and there was a lot of discussion around doing it as audiences wouldn’t have known much about it but it did well,” said JJ.
‘Guys and Dolls’ has the advantage of having been a movie starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, he said.
For both society members and audiences, the shows offer a sense of escapism from the dark winter nights.
A huge amount of commitment is involved for the estimated 100 people involved in putting the production together, according to JJ.
“On the weekend after Electric Picnic finishes we’re straight into it. It blocks off three months of work but there is also a great social element to the production,” said JJ.
With the county town expanding enormously, joining the society can be a good way of getting to know people, the chairperson remarked.
“A lot of people struggle with getting out and meeting new people and this ticks all the boxes. Every year we are guaranteed to get in two or three people new to the area.
“In some cases, people who have moved to Portlaoise might have dabbled with other musical societies.”
Portlaoise Musical Society’s 25th anniversary was celebrated with a silver gala ball in the Midlands Park Hotel in October.
The event marked the trajectory of the society from its first production, Oklahoma in 1999, with memorabilia showcased and past and present members attending.
“Joe Ganly, one of the famous dames from the Gaiety Theatre, was MC for the event and it was a wonderful occasion,” JJ said.
“Lorraine O’Callaghan, our PRO, did displays and videos after amassing a huge amount of material such as old photographs and programmes going back over the 25 years.”
The chairman said they didn’t consider extending the run of this year’s show which costs approximately €50,000 to stage, to further mark the 25th anniversary.
“It would be too hard on the cast,” he said. The last time they did a matinee was when ’The Addams Family’ was performed in 2020.
“The following year we did ‘Rock of the Ages’ which wasn’t suitable for a younger audience so we dropped the matinee and introduced an earlier Sunday evening start which suits the cast.”
The chairman paid tribute to the partners and families of all those involved in the musicals over the years. “They play a huge role in keeping the home fires burning. Otherwise we couldn’t do what we do.”
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