Christmas concerts, pantos, films, gigs: 10 seasonal highlights in Cork city
Clockwise: John Spillane, the Opera House's Nanny Nellie, The Muppets Christmas Carol
The city's grande dame of theatre venues partners up with the CADA theatre and dance school to present its annual panto, a Corkonian take on the classic Cinderella tale. Japes, jollies and crowd participation ahoy as our heroine races to be the belle of the ball, including a pair of inclusive performances — an audio-described version for visually-impaired theatregoers complete with a 'touch tour' of the venue's iconic interior, and a version signed in Irish Sign Language for hearing-impaired audiences, complete with in-costume interpreter.
- Tickets from €26 on Wonderful Wednesdays available from everymancork.com
- Tickets for audio-described (Thursday December 29) and ISL-signed (Saturday January 7) shows also available from everymancork.com
- Visual advance guide to the venue and panto for neurodivergent patrons available here (pdf).
Nanny Nellie and friends take on the wicked Maleficent — willed on by a vocal crowd! — to free the princess from her 100-year curse and wake up to Prince Charming. Old-style pantomime fun, with song and dance aplenty, with a special edition on January 4 designed for audiences with neurological and sensory differences that dims the lights and goes easy on the volume.
- Tickets from €30 available from corkoperahouse.ie.
- Tickets for January 4's 'relaxed performances' available from corkoperahouse.ie.
Dickens' classic tale of inequality, misery, empathy and redemption is reinterpreted with early Celtic, Medieval and Victorian carols, sung by vocalist Annette Buckley, acted by Shakespearean specialist Kieran O’Leary and directed by Cork theatrical stalwart Judie Chalmers, with an original soundscape by Shane O’Sullivan and music arrangements by Simon MacHale.
- Tickets €16.34 available from eventbrite.ie.
While the kids are away in pantoland, the grown-ups of Cork Improv Panto are back out from a Covid-inflicted spell in chokey — and ready to make it up as they go along, including Dominic MacHale, star of The Young Offenders; Laura O Mahony of Cork’s RedFM Breakfast Show; comedian Cornelius Patrick O Sullivan; and Laura Harte.
- Tickets €22.50 (from €20 concession) available from corkoperahouse.ie.
The latest installment of the venue's annual December spectacular features the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra (COHCO), conducted by John O’ Brien; soloists Kim Sheehan, Simon Morgan and Karen Underwood; spoken word with Éadaoin O’Donoghue; and guest artists Rowan, plus a number of choirs from Cork city and county.
- Tickets from €28 available from corkoperahouse.ie.
The Tobin Street arts centre weighs in on Christmas with a seasonal selection of US film faves, including the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life, 1990 kiddie escapade Home Alone, the 1992 favourite Muppet Christmas Carol, and the most obvious and important addition to any Christmas viewing list — the immortal Christmas Eve-set classic, Die Hard.
- Tickets from €10 available from triskelartscentre.ie.
The Everyman's annual Christmas tradition — a big gig from Cork's singer-songwriter laureate John Spillane, and a bevy of musical friends — reaches its 25th anniversary, having been ongoing since 1997, the year he released debut album The Wells of the World.
Vocal ensemble Madrigal ’75 and conductor James Taylor present their ever-popular Christmas Concerts, with their stunning selection of seasonal choral music — including rarely — performed works, Christmas classics and contemporary compositions.
- Tickets €22 (general admission, concessions from €5) available from Cork Orchestral Society.
The brothers Wall and their compatriots come by the Caroline Street venue as part of their now-customary Christmas lap, delighting longtime fans with a rich seam of Irish rock — cast in a new light of importance to Irish life, in light of the passing of CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan, who cited the band as her favourite.
One of the survivors of the last days of Ireland's dancehall scene, Gina and the Champions — sans Dale Haze, who passed in 2020 — kick off their golden jubilee tour with a special show at St Luke's, to be shortly followed by 'Fifty Songs for Fifty Years', an anniversary greatest-hits album — which will most likely feature breakout single 'The Greatest Lover'.
- Tickets from €31.03 available from uticket.ie.
