Theatre Review: 160 Years Gala - Cork Opera House

4/5

The red carpet was rolled out for guests of the Cork Opera House’s 160th anniversary gala celebration last Saturday evening. The varied show combined Cork nostalgia with class acts, such as Iarla Ó Lionáird, Fiona Shaw (performing poet WB Yeats’ ‘Easter 1916’, with a splendid musical arrangement by John O’Brien), Cara O’Sullivan, ballerina Erina Takahashi and Jimmy McCarthy, who sang his songs ‘No Frontiers’ and ‘Ride On’.

The show opened with the spine-tingling first movement from Seán Ó Riada’s ‘Mise Eire,’ beautifully performed by the orchestra. All the dignity and seriousness of Ó Riada’s composition was followed by the appearance of the ball-hopping MC for the night, Dame Nannie Nellie (aka Frank Mackey), who poked fun at everyone from the city’s new Lord Mayor to a few unfortunates in the audience. But panto dames are best served up at Christmas and Mackey’s constant slagging was overkill.