George Michaelbrings his fans on a rollercoaster ride at the Point, while Mother Goosesets the panto bar high at the Gaiety.
George Michael. The Point, Dublin
It was a strange mêlée that gathered for George Michael's first concert in Ireland in 21 years. Instead of donning their belly tops, they studiously polished their spectacles and hitched up their jeans in anticipation of the man's appearance to the opening strains of, appropriately enough, Here I Am.
This was a multimedia experience that for once lived up to its name. His sheer charisma was enough to fill the gargantuan void that was his stage backdrop, so when the light show began, it was a rollercoaster-ride all the way through his back catalogue with just a handful of songs snapped from his latest (largely best of) collection, Twenty Five.
The boy is looking good (okay, who knows what's going on behind those shades?), and that voice is better than ever, swooping and soaring with aerobatic ease. George's stock in trade is perfectly poised pop, delivered precisely as it sounded in the studio, with just an occasional impromptu improvisation, but nothing too drastic to distract him from the arc of the song. Less clubbier and much more affable in mood, he trawled through everything from Everything She Wants and Funky to Fastlove and Jesus To A Child.
Michael's increasing politicisation is delivered with refreshing clarity: he never sacrifices funk over fanaticism. His candid acknowledgement of his sexual identity, in song and in-between-song banter set him apart, and reflect a man who's comfortable in his own skin, despite Rupert Murdoch's attempts to suggest the contrary.
Shoot The Dog (complete with a neat segue into The Human League's Love Action) worked far better live than on CD, with George's infamous take on Anglo-American political relations (complete with Dubya and John Bull engaged in an evidently mutually satisfying act of fellatio) inducting him finally into the collective hearts and minds of this mostly thirty- and forty-something audience - many of whom shimmied in a way that suggested they'd long abandoned the dance floor for environs less demanding of their pelvic girdles.
Ewan MacColl could hardly have asked for a better interpretation of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, a song that's all too often sacrificed to maudlin self-indulgence. After that, his prescience was writ large on Praying for Time, a timely sideswipe at materialism that ricocheted off the rafters in this Tigerland.
The sight of the projected Wurlitzer signalled the second blistering half of the night, and once he had delivered Faith in all its honky tonk glory, he was free to give full rein to I'm Your Man and Careless Whisper and a blistering cry, Freedom.
Kicking against the traces never sounded so funky. - Siobhán Long
Mother Goose, Gaiety Theatre
Choosing the little-known Charles Perrault fairytale of Mother Goose as this year's pantomime may have seemed a bit risky, but its simple tale of a poor mother with a houseful of children who is given the gift of a goose which lays some golden eggs offers plenty of opportunity for pantomime scriptwriters.
Mark O'Shaughnessy is a wonderful Mother Goose and carries off her awkward blustery ways with confidence and flair. His sidekick of sorts, Nicky (Shane Creevy of pop band D-side) provides the love interest for Georgina (a modest and poised Kate Brennan), the daughter of the evil Squire (Michael Grennell) and his ugly wife, Lady Muck (Grace Dunne). Michael Grennell has the perfect pitch (not too scary yet wicked and menacing) as Mother Goose's landlord who plays an evil trick on the Dame.
The nimble fairy from Wisteria Lane (Doireann Ní Chorragáin) is, however, really in charge and when Mother Goose admits her mistake, Priscilla, the goose, is returned to the family.
The special effects are more subdued than in previous years but Toby Gomme's solo fire-display is nonetheless impressive. The scene in which Mother Goose, Nicky and Georgie travel to Gooseland (as the audience follows their route through streets of Dublin on a large screen) seems a bit misplaced. The courtroom scene in Gooseland itself, however, is striking.
Dancers and performers from the Billie Barry Stage School added the essential pizazz to the show and pre-teens in the audience will be thrilled to hear some of their favourite pop songs (I'm Not Here to Say I'm Sorry and Don't Stop Me Now). The scene set in the Pool of Beauty is also visually stunning.
Costume designer Catherine Fay deserves high praise for the fantastic costumes as does the lighting designer, Ben Payne, for bathing the stage in warm golden light for fairyland scenes. And Priscilla the goose is simply the cuddliest larger-than-life goose you'll ever encounter. It's the first pantomime to open in Dublin this season, and director Carole Todd and producer John Costigan have set the bar high.
A traditional pantomime with a firm focus on entertaining children, and with a few clever gags (we're not telling) thrown in for the adults, you'll be hard pressed to beat it. - Sylvia Thompson
