Kells society members shine like stars in 'Pinocchio' production

Months of hard work, creative thinking and dedicated rehearsal culminated in the Kells Musical and Dramatic Society"s production of 'Pinnochio," which opened in the St Vincent de Paul Theatre on Saturday afternoon last. The chorus were in fine form with great singing and energy on stage and the dashing heroes outwitted their adversary, the wicked puppet master Stromboli. The panto romped along at great speed and panache with a host of comic characters providing loads of belly laughs and hilarious comic situations and once again the cast managed to encapsulate the magic of this fairytale. It was written and directed by John Grant who always finds new and creative ways to entertain us with a witty script and story line, great sets and dance routines. The show opened to the beautiful singing of four young girls destined for stardom as they sang 'What I"ve Been Looking For" from High School Musical. The comic moments were provided by the very experienced James Heary as the polished, energetic Nellie Bubblegum, who was a joy to watch on stage. Aaron Byrne was wonderful as the evil villain, Stromboli, who goaded, bullied and raised the audience"s blood pressure. Gary Byrne as Salts and Johnny Lynch as Peppey gave wonderful performances throughout the show. The leads were beautifully played by Adam Bridge and Jordan Gorman as Pinocchio and Truly Scrumptious. This was Jordan"s first major role and her singing was a delight to listen to. Pat Byrne gave a delightful performance as the old wood whittler Gepetto and the bumbling and stingy Count De Cash was very ably played by Dermot Nelson who showed how to combine comedy with character acting. Sarah Insley played the silver-tongued snob Miss Snob with a 'Mrs Bucket"-style comic touch. Another comic role was in the very capable hands of Kevin McLoughlin who played the dopey Idle Jack. Playing another major role was Linda Nelson as Fairy Not So Bright. Linda brought great acting skills to this role and gave a very polished performance. Majella McLoughlin gave a great performance as Figaro the mangey cat and Hillary Flynn played the Herald with great power and sang with gusto. The Hungry Hairy Ape was played by the comic talents of Colin McGovern who gave a great performance loaded with energy and perfection. No pantomime would be complete without children and there were plenty of very talented kids on stage delivering their lines with great confidence as villagers and ghosts. Sheila Garvey did a superb job on the senior dancers and, as this is her second time to choreograph the Kells pantomime, she has put her creative skill to good use. Brian O"Neill was the lighting designer and created some lovely effects along with Martin Sheridan, while the lavish sets were created by James Heary, Keith Rogers and the stage crew and were painted by Sean Kelaghan. The show continues its run tomorrow night (Thursday) at 8pm and Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets can be obtained from the booking office at (046) 9241844.