Direct from the West End, this festive tale of going back home to Ireland for Christmas is back! Showcased at St George’s Hall in Bradford, this musical features all kinds of singing, dancing and instruments. From ballet to Irish dancing, violins to electric guitars, classic Christmas songs to some of the greatest Irish sing-a-longs of all time, The Fairytale of New York is the perfect show to watch to get into the festive spirit.

 

From the producers of Seven Drunken Nights, The Fairytale of New York, inspired by the song originally written in 1988 by The Pogues, is the ultimate feel good Irish-inspired Christmas show. It features all your favourite Christmas songs including White Christmas, Driving Home for Christmas, Silent Night, Merry Christmas Everyone and of course The Fairytale of New York. But as well as these classic Christmas songs, it includes Irish music such as The Galway Girl, The Irish Rover, Danny Boy and Dirty Old town.

 

The songs were performed in a range of ways, with some being solos, some being duets and some being sung by the entire cast. In addition, between many of the songs there was some added comedy which had everyone laughing and smiling. The dancing alongside also ranged from tap dancing, Irish dancing and even a bit of ballet. Furthermore, the show frequently featured audience participation with some of the cast directly speaking to the audience, some asking the crowd to sing along as loud as they can and even asking the audience to act as the drums during one song.

 

The cast was made up of a group of only 11 people. With many being phenomenal musicians, excellent dancers and wonderful singers. The show featured Ged Graham, Danny Muldoon and Adam Evens as musicians and three of the main singers, Claire Gleave as another main singer, Meabh Kennedy as the violinist and Megan Jay, Louisa Clark, Ella Brown, Meaghan Maeve McHugh, Maddie Hayes and Clara Kerr as the six main dancers.

 

Like many, the show was split in half with a 20 minute interval where you could either make your way down to the bar and have a refreshing drink or choose from one of the many choices of delicious ice cream. The interval also gives the chance to talk about the stunning show so far with your friends, family or fellow audience members. When asked about her thoughts on the show, Claire Peacock said: “This show is a great way to start Christmas and I loved the unexpected comedy aspects.”

 

By the end of the show, they finished with one final song and had people of all ages out of their seats, singing and clapping along to the beat. The show successfully portrays the theme of returning back home to Ireland for Christmas and is perfect to get into the festive spirit. The Fairytale of New York is a show worth experiencing.