Having missed out on the opportunity to see the Fairytale of New York last year, we were glad to finally get tickets to the fast selling Christmas concert this year! The concert combines a variety of traditional Irish singing and dancing alongside some well known classic Christmas carols and songs. You are sure to be in the Christmas spirit by the end of the show!
This concert had a something for everyone and we certainly enjoyed the afternoon of entertainment. We loved that there was good variation in the pieces being sung with a mix of slow and fast paced Christmas songs, which were sung fantastically by the entire cast. Accompanying the singing and dancing were live instruments including banjo, guitar, violin and marching drums. We would’ve liked to have seen a few more traditional Irish instruments, however understand the constraints with the smaller staging in a concert setting.
There was a mix of various dancing styles from contemporary dance, Irish jigs, tap to ballet which we found fascinating to watch. The dancing was well choreographed and fitted well into the performance. The songs featuring the dancers we enjoyed more and perhaps would’ve liked to have seen the dancers perform in more of the songs.
The stage, although basic was functional, fitting for the show and well utilised throughout the performance. It featured a snowy backdrop of New York with a bridge and small Christmas market stall. This merged with the blue hue from the lighting provided a well suited backdrop for the Christmas concert. The bridge also provided another space for performers to stand on stage and was a great use of space when there were lots of performers during the musical scores with lots of dancing.
Throughout the show audience participation was encouraged which added to the enjoyment of the show. Although there was a lot of variety in the pieces, we felt they were slightly disjointed at times, and some additional narrative or plot could’ve taken this performance to the next level, and brought out more of the “New York” from Fairytale of New York!
Overall a brilliant concert that got us into the Christmas spirit.
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