With just four weeks remaining to the start of the Ballinasloe Musical Society’s performance of Hello Dolly, work is well underway for the production, with director/choreographer, Mary McDonagh; associate director/choreographer, Steffen Jorgensen; and musical director, John Roe.
This year’s launch will be very celebratory, both for this year’s cast and last year’s. Ballinasloe Town Mayor, Pat O’Sullivan, will host a civic reception for the members of the musical society following on from their Best Overall Show win and also Eoin Croffy’s win as Best Comedian for Honk at the AIMS awards in Killarney in June 2008.The launch and civic reception of this year’s show will take place on Thursday February 5 at 7.30pm in the Ballinasloe Town Council Offices.
This event will be an honorary celebration of the work that the musical society carries out each year in Ballinasloe with their annual musical production. The society also gives the community of Ballinasloe the opportunity to develop their skills in theatrical productions. The musical society would like to extend an invitation to the civic reception and launch of Hello Dolly to anyone who has assisted with the musical productions in anyway throughout their many shows. If you haven’t assisted with any production but would like to get involved this year, there are still some opportunities remaining for assisting backstage (including set production, make up, and props ) as well as front of house for the week of the show.
Hello Dolly is one of Broadway’s most successful musicals. At one time it held the record for the longest running musical on Broadway. The plot concerns a rich merchant, Horace Vandergelder, who requires a wife and employs Dolly Levi to find him one. But Dolly decides she wants him for herself. She arranges for him to meet a New York milliner, Irene Molloy, and while he is away his two young salesmen decide to slip away to New York as well, resulting in mix-ups and misunderstandings. To find out how it all ends, and if Dolly gets her man, you’ll have to come and see the show!
This year’s rehearsals have been taking place since November 2008 for the production of Hello Dolly, which will be held in the Town Hall, Ballinasloe from Sunday February 22 to Saturday February 28. The show will cost in excess of €50,000 to produce and without the support of local businesses and the community it would not be possible to produce a show of this significance. However the society is always looking for new support, so if you would like to become a patron or sponsor of the musical society, please do not hesitate to contact Gerry Sweeney, society chairman on (087 ) 6928236.
We look forward to seeing you all at the launch of this year’s show!
