BLACK tie, photographic homage to stage stalwarts and shows gone by and a master of ceremonies to link the 90years past with the present… you get a picture of what Cecilian Music Society has planned for its Celebratory Concert.
This takes place in the South Court Hotel, Raheen on Friday April 24, reviving the great numbers from its favourite shows. There’s a mighty cast, featuring as many Cecilian past and current ‘leads’ as can be found, as well as backing numbers, dancing and from Expressive Arts School, scenes from that eternal crowd-pleaser, The Sound of Music. Padhraic Hastings is appointed MC for the concert’s salute to highlights of its colourful calendar of nine decades.
“It was hard to put together a programme when everybody has favourite shows,” admits Brian Henry, a leading light with CMS. “We have picked our most popular productions such as Fiddler on the Roof, with which we open the Celebratory Concert, My Fair Lady, The Merry Widow, Guys’n’Dolls, Me and My Girl, West Side Story and others. We will do up to three numbers from each.
“Ray Burke, a past chairman, is gathering as many photographs as he can get of past members and performances and we hope to mount this for a Powerpoint presentation that will link the shows and personalities throughout the night. The corridors of the South Court Hotel will be lined with old posters.
Brian himself, who joined his dad Dermot Henry in Cecilian life in 1992 for Brigadoon, has appeared in 18 productions and concerts since, most recently as Cosmo Brown in Singing in the Rain. He even met his missus Grainne Hartnett throught the society, and yes, she’s in this Celebratory Concert too.
Expect a riot of AIMS award-winning talent on stage on Friday April 24, 8pm curtain.
