The curtain is about to be raised on what promises to be one of the entertainment highlights of the year, as Boyle Musical Society makes final preparations for its 40th production, the hilarious murder mystery musical ‘Curtains’.
The show opens this Wednesday night in St. Joseph’s Hall, Boyle and continues until Saturday 22nd with nightly performances at 8pm.
In the twelve weeks since rehearsals began, the cast, committee, crew and production team have spent every moment ensuring that audiences can expect an outstanding, memorable and fun filled show, suitable for all the family!
Set in 1959, ‘Curtains’ is a murder mystery where a detective must solve the murder of the leading lady Jessica Cranshaw (played by Aoife Tighe), during her show’s opening night performance in Boston. The detective, Frank Cioffi (played by Iain Howard) quarantines the entire cast and crew while trying to find the identity of the killer.
But Cioffi doesn’t just investigate the murder—he is a musical theatre fan and he can’t help offering advice and insight into improving the show. Everything is put on hold while he investigates, but the show must reopen within 24 hours, featuring a new leading lady or the production will be shut down completely! The clock is ticking to find the killer and at the same time, put on a killer show!
This is a murder mystery ‘Whodunit’ with many questions and audiences will wonder who the murderer might be. Could it be the sassy producer Carmen Bernstein (played by Kelly Collins) or the camp and egotistical director Christopher Belling (Brendan Reid)? Another suspect is Georgia Hendricks (Janet Glancy), the lyricist who will become the new leading lady, and what about Niki Harris (Lizi Hannon), the ingénue in the cast who is evidently hiding a secret?
In fact everyone is a suspect, and only Cioffi can make sense of the evidence. Will he solve the murder and get the show back on track? Maybe he might get distracted and fall in love with somebody from the cast or end up joining the show himself!! The answers to all these questions will be revealed in St. Joseph’s hall during the show’s four night run.
‘Curtains’ is a musical parody of whodunit classics, with numbers ranging from the classic musical theatre song-and-dance ‘A Tough Act to Follow’ to the heartfelt ‘I Miss the Music.’ A comedic send-up suitable for all ages, this show will have the audience laughing until the final curtain falls.
The cast of 41 includes many familiar and new faces. Supporting principal players including Danny Leonard as Aaron Fox, Ceara Conlon as Bambi Bernet , Jason Kenny as Bobby Pepper, Conor Hamill as Daryl Grady, Enda Regan as Johnny Harmon, Stephen Tighe as Ocsar Shapiro, Conor White as Randy Dexter, Oliver Brady as Sidney Benrstein and Paul Dowling as Detective O’Farrell.
The ensemble and dance ensemble cast include Rachel Bolger, Heidi Caldbeck, Leanne Connolly, Oisín Dowling, Dearbhla Madden, Alisha Manning, Niamh O’Connor, Jake Reilly, Emily Rooney, Catherine Bolger, Daniela Beadnall, Kate Connelly, Ashling Ennis, Lorraine Lyons, Colette Noone, Helen O’Hara, Siobhán Talbot, Laura Walshe, Marina Furey, Ash Galway, Catriona Glancy-O’Shea, Nathan Hayes, Deborah Kehoe, Aoife Larkin, Sinéad McCarthy and Rebecca Wynne.
We are of course delighted to welcome two very talented and hardworking ladies to our production team, director Karen Gordon and choreographer Eiméar Mulvey. They have been working closely with our dedicated and gifted musical director Anne Kielty to bring the very best out of the cast for what promises to be Boyle Musical Society’s best show to date.
Tickets are available from our booking office at An Ríoga on Bridge Street this Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1pm to 4:30pm. Telephone bookings on 087 386 4145 – during the same hours. Tickets will also be available at the door.
We will have a massive nightly draw with prizes kindly sponsored by local businesses. Please remember to bring some cash on the night for the raffle and for the shop, because we cannot accept card payments for either.
‘Curtains’ is a musical mystery comedy with a book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander, with additional lyrics by Kander and Holmes. Presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide Ltd.
For further information please visit www.boylemusicalsociety.com or follow Boyle Musical Society on Facebook and Instagram.
(Some of the cast are photographed by Benny Morgan. Text by Brendan McGee)
