Stage

The Fattest Dancer at St Bernadette’s review: A hilarious stage school send-up

Dublin Fringe Festival: Thommas Kane Byrne stars in his reinvention of the one-man show

The Fattest Dancer at St Bernadette’s: Julian La Blanc and his unpredictable sidekicks. Photograph: Ste Murray

Sara Keating's face
Sara Keating
Thu Sep 20 2018 - 16:35

THE FATTEST DANCER AT ST BERNADETTE’S

Studio, the Lir
★ ★ ★ ★
Julian La Blanc may be the fattest dancer at the academy he runs at St Bernadette's Parish Hall in Ballybough, but that doesn't mean he isn't a star. I mean, he almost was a bona-fide diva. Really! At the final rehearsal for the school's 10th-anniversary celebration he is going to tell you all about it – if the cheeky kids he teaches don't stop interrupting him.

Thommas Kane Byrne has written and stars in this hilarious reinvention of the one-man show, which showcases his singing and dancing skills, as well as his slick ability to create fresh new local insults. "If it wasn't Broadway it was No Way... If it wasn't Swan Lake it was head first in the bottom of Blessington Lake." Yeah. He's a bit of a drama queen.

With tight direction from Clare Maguire and the unpredictable antics of Kane Byrne’s four sidekicks, this is an excellent tribute to, and send-up of, the stage-school world.

Runs until Saturday, September 22nd

Fringe