Mullingar Student Players sell out Phantom of the Opera
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Aoileann Mulvihill getting her haie done by Niamh Casserly.Image 2 of 14
Emily Shaw, Hazel O'Heihir and Anna Casey at Mullingar Arts Centre.Image 3 of 14
Sadhbh O'Connor, Hannah Obadina and Hannah Lynch before the show.Image 4 of 14
JP McCarney, Ryan Shanley and Cillian Carey on Sunday evening.Image 5 of 14
Eoin O'Grady, Leon Griffin and Ben Poynton backstage on Sunday.Image 6 of 14
Tadgh Kelly, Max O'Keeffe, Mark Fulham and Sean Kelly relaxing before their performance.Image 7 of 14
Angie Lynch (musical director).Image 8 of 14
Aoibheann Darcy and Isabel Ward from MullingarImage 9 of 14
Niall and James Quinn on Sunday in Mullingar.Image 10 of 14
Marie Creann, Bernadette Solon, Ber Neary and Sr Nell Chambers at Phantom of the Opera.Image 11 of 14
Annie Jalpo and Allie Venezuela from Water Lily Florist in Mullingar.Image 12 of 14
Audra Forde and Carmel Gilbride from Mullingar.Image 13 of 14
Grace Smith, Eileen Smith, Ivelina Belcheva and Alannah Belcheva from Mullingar Arts Centre.Image 14 of 14
Sean McDonnell getting made up as The Phantom by Laura Irwin.Mullingar Student Players successfully carried out a difficult but impressive production of Phantom of the Opera, at Mullingar Arts Centre in April, sold out every show, and added an extra one due to demand.
Phantom can be challenging due to its heavy use of live music and visuals, but the Student Players did it brilliantly, and enhanced it with a live band.
That was a critical factor for Angie Lynch, musical director, who had been planning to retire, but returned for Phantom. She said: “Not only did viewers get the extensive visuals that Sean Lynch (director) always provides, they also got an authentic live band feel, and you just can’t recreate that.
“Before the show started, I bumped into a lady who was describing her excitement about the fact that there was a live band. I thought well that’s it, that’s all we need to know, that is why people are so excited about this show.”
Angie said that backing tracks can work, but she wanted more: “They’re professionally done but they suck the life and soul out of a musical, because you have a live performance [on stage] but you know that there are no musicians there providing the background. So that was it, that was enough for me - live band, away we go.”
She was also conscious of the cost of putting on the production, but says it is justified, necessary even, in order to maintain the reputation for excellence Mullingar Arts Centre has established.
“It’s a big risk, you put money into these productions, and if people don’t come, that makes the next production almost impossible to put on. But even if people aren’t fans of a specific show, if you put on a good production, the word will get out and people will always come.
“If you want spectacular visuals, they cost, and Phantom had them in spades – there were professional costumes, the sets were off the charts, the number of people backstage that it took to move sets and the rest…”
The efforts and investment paid off and on the nights of the show, April 22 to 27, audiences left happy they had experienced something special.