Something for all at opera festival

THE people of Waterford will be singing in the rain, in their seats and on the streets over the coming fortnight as the 47th Waterford International Festival of Light Opera beckons.

The festival runs for two weeks from next Monday and featured on the programme are 12 competitive performances as well as a Final Night Concert.

Highlights will include Waterford’s own Flaggy Lane Productions Singin’ In The Rain which will run for two nights, a new show by Peter Kennedy - a musical comedy entitled How The West Wasn’t Won - and Fusion Theatre’s production of Les Miserables (Schools edition).

With four Gilbert & Sullivan productions - The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, The Yeoman of the Guard and The Sorcerer - there’s something for the traditionalists. Spirit of Newfoundland travel from Canada with their production of Nunsense, while Hot Mikado, Godspell, Man Of La Mancha and The King & I, complete the competitive line-up.

All shows in this year’s festival have either been personally vetted by the WIFLO Executive Committee or, where this was not possible, have been highly recommended by experienced sources.

Societies from Ireland feature heavily this year with Clonmel, Kilkenny, Galway, Rush, Waterford and Navan all supplying competitors.

To book tickets for any of the events, contact the Theatre Royal Box Office, The Mall, Waterford, or ring [phone].