Hello everyone and welcome to another #theatrethrowback. So this theatre throwback is actually quite a special one. The night still stands out in my mind. On this day three years ago, I was in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre with my best friend. We were celebrating our Leaving Cert results because we had just gotten them that morning. We were both delighted and relieved and so excited. We sat in the very front row and we saw Wicked and it was the most incredible night.

If you’re Irish then you will know how stressful the Leaving Cert can be and you’ll also know what a big deal results day is. If you are not Irish and you keep wondering what is this Leaving Cert that I keep referring to, it is one of the biggest exams Irish students do. It is the last exam we do in secondary school (high school) and it is the exam that will determine whether or not someone who wants to go to college will get in or not. We sit eight or more exams and it can be a very long, stressful experience. So results day is a very highly anticipated one. It is actually a day that I don’t like to discuss because in my personal opinion, I like to keep results private and I’m aware that not everyone walks away happy on results day, but I was someone who did walk away happy and very relieved and even though I have been lucky enough to see Wicked on a few occasions now, it is this day that stands out the most because it was a very important day in my life.

This production of Wicked was in Dublin in 2018 and my best friend and I saw the incredible Helen Woolf as Glinda and the equally incredible Amy Ross as Elphaba. If you have seen Wicked then you know already that it is a brilliant show. The staging is absolutely brilliant, the costumes are stunning, the score is beautiful and the story is funny, compelling, and very moving. I have seen this show on four different occasions and if someone asked me would I like to see it again tomorrow I would say yes. I don’t think it is possible to have a bad time seeing Wicked.

The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is perhaps my favourite theatre in Dublin. I absolutely love seeing shows there. I always sit in the stalls and I love being out by the canal. If you’re from Dublin then you will know how beautifully the theatre is lit up on the outside and if you’re not from Dublin then I would say if you ever visit, go to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre because you will have an amazing night and there are lots of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars nearby to have a drink or some food before heading to the theatre.

This night stands out in my memory for so many different reasons. I was so happy and so excited, and my family and friends were all so excited and proud of me. New starts were ahead of me, I was looking forward to college, I was looking forward to starting my new course and making new friends. We were sitting in the very front row. We could see the orchestra and the conductor and if you know me, then you know that I am a huge fan of music (I even considered studying it in college), so seeing the conductor’s score was so exciting. One of the best moments was during Defying Gravity, I don’t want to spoil the show for anyone who hasn’t seen it, if you know you know, but being in the front row during that song in particular was an experience I’ll never forget. I was with my best friend, who I’ve known since I was a toddler. We were both so happy and we were celebrating a huge milestone and there we were, watching Wicked, a show that highlights how life changing best friends can be. It was a very special night and when it came up in my memories I just knew it had to be my next #theatrethrowback.

Have you seen Wicked? What do you think of the show? Let me know.

Kate xo.

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday. It’s time for another theatre throwback. In 2015 the magical Mary Poppins flew into the Bord Gàis Energy Theatre in Dublin and it quickly became one of my favourite musicals.

As you will see from the pictures below, I am a fan of Mary Poppins. The movie has always been one of my favourite Disney movies and over the years people have given me an array of Mary Poppins themed presents, from bobble heads to notebooks.

2015 was the year I sat my Junior Cert, if you’re not Irish and you don’t know what this means, it’s one of the two biggest exams we do while we are still in secondary school (high school). It’s the less scary version of the Leaving Cert and looking back once it was over it was hardly mentioned again, but nevertheless it is important at the time and I don’t like dismissing it because students have to get through it and the work they put in should be acknowledged.

Why mention this? Well music was one of my subjects, and as any Irish music student knows, the exam consists of a practical. Play an instrument or sing. I sang. My teacher had a method for choosing songs, show variety and do four different ones. A pop song, a hymn, an Irish song and a song from a musical. I chose to sing Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins and then later in the year after the anticipation of results were behind me, Mary Poppins the musical came to Dublin and as my own mother said, I couldn’t miss this show.

The wonderful Zizi Strallen was Mary Poppins and I still remember the applause when she flew over the audience with her umbrella. I was fifteen at the time and I was beginning to take drama classes more seriously, I was falling in love with watching things onstage and this was the show that made me really pay attention to detail. The transitions were seamless, the moving set and the special effects were fantastic. It really felt magical. It is so hard to pick just one favourite moment but the fabulous Matt Lee as Bert tap dancing upside down across the ceiling is definitely one of them.

If you’re a Disney fan then this is a show you will love. The magic of Disney is captured in every scene and of course the score is just beautifully filled with the songs we all know and love from the movie, along with some new ones specifically for the show. The costumes are beautiful, the dancing is upbeat, lively and mesmerising, and of course the story is what makes this show.

Even if you’re not a Disney fan, I would say if you get a chance to see Mary Poppins then you should go. It’s funny, it’s moving, and it’s absolutely magical and it is still a show that stands out in my memory years later.

I hope I get the chance to see this show again someday, but for now it was nice to walk down memory lane. I hope you all enjoyed my theatre throwback. Have you seen Mary Poppins? What did you think? What’s your favourite Disney musical? I’d love to know.

Kate xo.

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Love me – that’s all I ask of you.

Charles Hart, The Phantom of the Opera.

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday. We have made it to the middle of another week. Time is flying by and I cannot believe that I will be kicking off my Theory Thursday series tomorrow. Keep an eye out for that.

Here’s a little theatre throwback. I had the most wonderful time at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in 2018. The Phantom of the Opera is one of the best musicals I’ve seen on a stage, and I have seen many. I might dedicate an entire blog post to the trip someday. This musical is an absolute must see in my opinion and the day it comes back to Dublin, I will be a happy woman indeed. What are some of your must see shows? I’d love to know.

Kate xo.