Review: Summer Revels! 'is a full-on Cork love fest'
The opening scenes of the revival of the Summer Revels Show in the Cork Opera House. Picture by Noel Sweeney
Summer Revels! has the feel of an old friend coming home.
Cork Opera House CEO, Eibhlín Gleeson, perfectly describes it as “a pure celebration of Cork, for Cork, by Cork.”
Packed with talent and energy, the bonanza successfully bridges the past and present, paying tribute to the Revels’ decades-long history, back to 1971, whilst experimenting with something new.
Before the action starts, the set, beautifully crafted by Maree Kearns, gives the plot away.
Sparkly gowns hang from a rail downstage left, and behind them, a section of the real stage – the band’s instruments waiting for action.
This is a show within a show, a fun and engaging concept threading the parts together.
A health and safety officer, Marie O’Donovan, arrives to ruffle the feathers of cast and crew, which adds a bit of tension, but the audience reacts most warmly to the actual show, the big singing and dancing numbers.
T
he balance, at times, needs a bit of tweaking to maintain the show’s momentum.
That said, there are plenty of laughs to be had with jokes appealing to “people from Cork or people unfortunate enough to be from somewhere else.”
This show is a full-on Cork love fest, and we all know how we love to love Cork, like.
One particularly successful sketch sees parents bringing their child to the doctor for his affliction – a D4 accent.
He is ceremoniously draped in a Cork flag to drown out mentions of the Dart, whilst an impassioned Roy Keane guides him out of his ailment on the phone.
Not long into the show, we are joined in the stalls by two supposed latecomers, Kathleen and Denis, played by the wonderful Trevor Ryan and Michael Sands.
These two are the Cha and Mia of the reboot, instantly recognisable, transporting us back to the Revels of old. The audience adores them as they wander past the aisles, commenting on our ‘finery,’ praising us for ‘dusting down the old vintage clothes,’ before sitting up in their box to pontificate and squabble with pitch-perfect Cork humour.
“You knows I loves you,” Denis tells Kathleen – any Cork audience, sold.
Clever writing sees Denis being invited on stage towards the end of the performance in a gameshow ‘smarty pants’ sketch. Kathleen joins him, placing the two on stage, which works fantastically well to draw the cast together for a charged final number.
The talent in this show is undeniable. Declan Wolfe is versatile and engaging, performing well as the Diva, and charming the socks off everyone as the fortune teller with a tendency to tease.
Cormac Mohally shines as the clown and Claire O’Leary, playing the overwhelmed manager, is right at home treading the boards.
Precious Amimbola has a stunning voice and presence, as does the host, expertly played by Alison Arnopp.
There are some lovely backstage moments in the second act that lift that side of the performance too, featuring the magician played by Daniel Cremin, and the dancers played by Alex Glennon, Thérèse O’Sullivan, and Fiona Kennedy.
I would have liked to have seen the younger members of the cast a little more often. They added a lovely joy to the evening and gave every number their all.
The choreography of the big numbers was exquisite. These were the moments that sparkled, helped by an abundance of glitter and tinsel, poppers and balloons. That magic, mixed with all things Cork, was the star of the show.
Cork has welcomed the Revels home; let’s hope it’s here to stay.
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