DJOsho

As a lover of theatre and Irish pubs, Clive Stack thought Irish Annie’s at The Grand theatre would be a good craic. He found an odd mix of another kind – sitting somewhere between Mrs Brown’s Boys and adult panto. I have spent many a good night in an Irish Bar (as I’m sure you have) from Boston, America to Perth, Australia, so I was very much looking forward to spending a couple of hours at Irish Annie’s at The Grand, Blackpool on Thursday night. But this was unlike any Irish bar I have ever been in before. This Irish Bar had Ricky Tomlinson, playing himself, popping in to do a bit of stand-up, which can’t be a bad thing, but the rest of the “regulars” who came in to do a turn, despite the best efforts of support from the band “The Shenanigans” and vocalist Asa Murphy, failed to give this Blackpool audience a night to remember. Catherine Rice as host, Irish Annie, did her best with a weak script to engage the audience, but it felt like she was pulling teeth. At one point, she gives Murphy, playing Seamus, a pint-shaped Guinness candle. When Murphy objects that it won’t quench his thirst, she replies, “Well, you get on my wick!” Imagine Mrs Brown’s Boys crossed with an adult panto and you have the acting style and type of humour on offer. Then Tomlinson makes an odd entrance, not through the open pub door which the rest of the cast used, but through a gap between the free-standing door and the rest of the set. And was that a script in his hand or was it the lyrics to the songs? Anyway, Tomlinson tells us how he was born up the road in Bispham and a story about meeting a classy lass from Lytham who may or may not have been a man. Asa Murphy, watching from stage left with the band, urges Tomlinson to tell us some tales from his celebrity past and Tomlinson cheerfully recounts, in his own inimitable style, encounters with Ken Dodd, Robert de Niro, and his time on the set with The Royle family with Caroline Ahern, Ralf Little and cast. You feel like the 85-year-old is just getting into full anecdote mode and could go on like this all evening when he is interrupted by Murphy who is ready to sing another song. The enthusiastic Murphy, the writer and director of the show, has a lovely voice and the songs (Galway Shawl, Dirty Old Town, Danny Boy and many other Irish favourites) go down well with the audience. But he and Tomlinson look like they were the only ones who were really enjoying it. Certainly, the band all sat stoney-faced throughout the performance. They had heard it all before, of course, but as they can be seen the whole time they are on stage, it would have helped the tone if they could have looked like they were having a good time rather than like they would rather be somewhere else. Irish Annie’s has been on tour for two years, and this is the second time it has been at The Grand, however, it didn’t feel like quite the right venue for it to me. But maybe this was my fault. On a Friday night, with a couple of pints of Guinness and a generous measure of Bushmills inside me I might have had a better craic!

In the week of St Patrick’s Day it was fitting to be able to review the shenanigans of Irish Annie’s and meet the landlady (Catherine Rice) and her regulars in her bar – Irish Annie’s. This is fun light hearted play with an undertone of community spirit and looking out for one another regardless of whether you are a local or not. A reminder of the moral message for us all to realign moral compass. Seamus Murphy (Asa Murphy) was the absolute star of the show and kept the play moving along with his narrative and questioning of Annie which seamlessly led onto either a song or an explanation of the tale. Murphy’s voice was pure and melodic as he played his guitar and led the pub (a sold out show – audience) in a sing along of many Irish tunes. It was helpful that upon entering the foyer, patrons were all given a song sheet prior to taking their seats. Asa Murphy is a seasoned professional entertainer and now a writer of musical theatre who is well aware of what an audience (especially a Liverpool audience with high standards) have come to expect and… he delivered! Catherine Rice adeptly portrayed a fun loving matriarchal stereotypical pub landlady. She convincingly engaged with her customers and knew about their lives. Rice was energetic on stage leading the Irish jigs whilst encouraging her customers (fellow actors and audience) to get involved with the sing along. This was her pub’s party and she wanted everyone to have a good time and get involved!. . Particularly notable credit needs to go to Sam Conlon (Noel) for his breathtaking, spine tingling rendition of Danny Boy. When his character started singing, the entire audience forfeited joining in as he soared with raw passion. He was deservedly given a standing ovation by the audience as his voice was so unbelievably good. Pauline Donovan (Moira the money lender) also gave a stellar performance as she demonstrated excellent pitch and tone with her velvety voice. Ricky Tomlinson who played himself as the quizmaster interacted with the audience however I would have liked his contribution to the play to have been more significant, given he was billed as the star attraction and has given numerous interviews on TV promoting the show. Billy Butler also played himself and his appeal to the Liverpool audience was popular and apparent. His peripheral performance was funny and humbling especially when he recited a hilarious poem that received rapturous applause. The band, aptly named Shenanigans were also impressive and befitting of quality musicians for the play. If you want a night of comedy, singing and dancing to Irish music (Galway Shawl, Tell Me Ma, Dirty Old Town, Whiskey In The Jar, Danny Boy and many more) then book tickets for the remaining matinee or evening performances of the tour as you won’t be disappointed!.