Photos by Pat Shortall
Well, our country had it all. Storms, power cuts, schools and businesses shut down. To borrow a phrase from Sean O’Casey “The country was in a state of chassis.” Each evening on our TV screens, bad news made its way into our sitting rooms. Some counties suffered more than others – of that there is no doubt. But there seems to be a different energy in the North Kilkenny village of Castlecomer. The good people of the one time mining town had barely removed their wellies from the annual race when they took to the Community hall to present the Pantomime Sleeping Beauty.
And the Duffy scripted show didn’t disappoint.. Once again, John Coogan took centre stage as Dame Hilda, and as per usual he/she, delivered a performance that we have come to expect. Coogan has that something special that sets him apart from a lot of actors. He is confident on that stage and a God given stage talent oozes from him. Each time he enters the stage, it is as if an extra baton of lights come on. Audience members seem to sit up in expectation of fun and laughter. And they are not disappointed. He was also co-director of the show alongside Sarah Brennan. And leave it alone to the comedy duo of ‘Chubby and Midgey’ who continue to bring buckets of laughter year after year. It was lovely to see the Kilkenny Rose Lisa O’Rourke and Junior Eurovision star Enya Cox Dempsey take part. As Pantomimes go, ‘Comer is as good as it gets.
Due to space restrictions, it is impossible to comment on individual cast members. Suffice to say that there wasn’t a weak link, and the cast and chorus carried out their roles with aplomb and panache. We should however pay a special tribute to the production team of John Coogan (director), Sarah Brennan (assistant director), Michele Wise (choreographer), Ollie Hennessy (musical director), Jimmy Byrne (assistant musical director) and Eugene Conway (set design artist).
The Kilkenny Observer spoke with the chair of the Pantomime society, Chubby Brennan, who said that great praise is due to all who took part. “It is important to remember that productions such as this take an awful amount of work, and as well as the people we see on stage, there are people backstage and front of house who do trojan work,” said Chubby. Mr Brennan gave a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone who keeps the beloved tradition of pantomime alive. The chairman also paid a special thanks to two long-time members, Joan Fogarty and Johnny Ryan who died.
Cast included : Lisa O’Rourke, Akira Cox, Colm Meagher, Nicole Devillers, Mary O’Brien, David O’Rourke, Emma Bergin, Martina Harding, Katie Power, Chris Clancy, Kevin Tynan, Monique DeVilliers Chubby Brennan, Michael Dowd, John Coogan and Emily O’Shea.
