Described as “the ultimate Irish-inspired Christmas concert”, A Fairytale for Christmas is the festive show from the producers of Seven Drunken Nights.
The place is McGrath’s, an Irish bar in New York. The show is a celebration of being Irish and far from home at Christmas.
On a tour which started on 5 Nov, A Fairytale for Christmas has three casts out on the road. We saw cast 1 last night with singers Shane Morgan, Peet Jackson, Oliver Cave (the sole Englishman) and Molly Farmer.
They are complemented by fiddle player/singer Caitlin Forbes, and dancers Rachel Adele Bolsworth, Katie Tone, Isabelle Hazeldine, Hannah-Rose Pendlebury, Georgia Amery, and Erin Dallas.
The enthusiasm of all involved offers a cheesy charm to proceedings, and the numerous costume changes for the dancers offer a spectacular framework for the traditional Irish dancing.
With a set list that includes popular Christmas songs (good to hear “Feliz Navidad” and “Christmas in Killarney”), carols (“Silent Night”), and Irish folk classics (“No Nay Never”), this is a solid night’s entertainment.
However the pulsing backing tracks occasionally overshadowed singers, while the audience were clearly more enthusiastic for the Dubliners and the Pogues than “O, Holy Night.”
Morgan is a stellar narrator, keeping proceedings light with a megawatt grin. When the mood turns more reflective (“Little Drummer Boy”, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” it doesn’t feel forced, while the party atmosphere rises with songs by Slade, Elton John, and Mariah Carey.
For the Irish in you (and my great-grandad Power would have loved it) we get “Danny Boy” (beautifully sung by Forbes), “The Fields of Athenry”, a raucous “Seven Drunken Nights” (look up the lyrics of the last two), and, of course, “Fairytale in New York” (with the ‘haggard’ line).
There’s solo dancing, memories of home, storytelling, and good craic. A sequence with dancers and drums (played by Jackson and Morgan) is inventive, while a lively finale that sends us out with a blast of “The Irish Rover” hits the spot.
If you’ve already seen Seven Drunken Nights you’ve seen the best show from this team. I felt the absence of creator Ged Graham very strongly – he’s not participating this year – but if you like your shows tied in tinsel and topped with a shamrock this could be right up your street.
I’m giving this 3.5 stars. Enjoyable, chintzy, and cheerful.
A Fairytale for Christmas is on tour until 20 Dec. For more details and ticket links, visit the show website.
Images by Prestige Productions