View from the Green Room: Pride in the Theatre Royal jersey
Jamie Beamish, MC for Live at the Royal, celebrating 240 years of the Theatre Royal.
Jamie Beamish is dead chuffed. And why wouldn’t he be? The Theatre Royal is celebrating 240 years of entertainment in the city and Jamie’s been part of that legend. Along with many, many others whose names and faces appear throughout the evening in remembrance of their contribution.
The Corporation acquired the land to build a new playhouse and assembly rooms on the Mall just outside the city walls – the back wall of the theatre is part of the old wall. We did have another playhouse – the Blackfriars Playhouse opened its doors in 1737 and closed when the Theatre Royal opened its doors in 1784. The existence of theatre in Waterford since the early eighteenth century is truly something to boast about and the bragging rights remain with the Royal – named “The People’s Theatre” by the late Eamon Flavin, Chairman of the Theatre Royal, during the two restorations from 1997-2007.
Tonight’s performance sparkles with the wit and talent of previous legends of the Theatre Royal. Lynsey Penkert gives “In Happy Moments” from Maritana to remind us of William Vincent Wallace’s contribution to opera and Music Generation Waterford’s Wind Band blows us all away with a raucous medley.
Tobie Hickey reminds us of those festival days gone by with a couple of Rogers and Hammerstein favourites – “If I loved You” and a duet with Lynsey Penkert in “We kiss in a shadow”.
Jim Nolan kicked off his writing career here with “Flowers of May” that was the winning entry in the Waterford News & Star one-act play competition and two Waterford professional actors – Brian Doherty and Anne O’Riordan – remind us of the two weeks when Jim and Red Kettle filled the Royal with “The Gods are Angry, Miss Kerr”.
Jamie interviews many of the performers and, before Greta Rochford delivers a sensitive “Someone Else’s Story” from Chess, reminisces with Greta on Tops and the Foundry’s “Dockendales” scene that saw some greased, chiselled six-packs that included Paddy Madigan and cost my Rayban show a place in the final! Grrrrr!
Ray Collins is at his best with “This is the moment” from Jekyll and Hyde. I can never quite figure out how this song is used at weddings because it comes at a moment in the show when Hyde turns into a monster! All explanations to the Editor at the N&S please.
Jamie delights with a Des Manahan favourite “Titwillow” and Jack Cunningham has us all “Dancing down Broadway” as we tap our way to the bar accompanied by jazz pianist Killian Browne.
Ray Collins joined Intonations Choir for Denny Corcoran’s “City of Music”; Greta Rochford and Jamie Beamish dueted on Bryan Flynn’s “Try to remember” from his “Pentimenti” musical; Andrew Holden smashed it with the ”Seven Ages of Man” from “As you like it”, while break-through stars Alex Kavanagh and Jenna Dunphy delighted the audience with “Never give all the heart” and “Love will come and find me again”.
I loved David Flynn’s “Doyle St.” and the ensemble sang us on our way with a scene from Les Miserables that brought me all the way back to the Crystal Tops of the Town Gaiety show in 1987.
Jamie Beamish did a superb job of celebration for that majestic, old theatre on the Mall that we all know as our own.
And it’s been there for almost a quarter of a millennium.
