It took less than a minute from curtain up for the audience at ‘Seven Drunken Nights – The Story of the Dubliners’ to be clapping, whooping, and singing along to the music.
Most didn’t stop until after the third encore and others would have been tapping their toes and humming in their heads all the way home. Yes, it was that good.
Direct from a highly acclaimed run in London’s West End, this ultimate feel-good Irish show is on tour, with a hugely talented cast of musicians and singers bringing the music of iconic Irish folk group The Dubliners to life.
The energy and passion of the musicians on stage is palpable as they tell the story of the pioneering band, evoking the spirit of Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Jim McCann, Ciaran Bourke and John Sheahan.
The show is a poignant love letter to one of the most influential of Ireland's traditional folk bands by writer and director Ged Graham (pictured above), who performs the key role of the narrator to take the audience on a journey, from the group’s humble beginnings to international stardom. He also sings and plays the 5-string banjo and guitar!
Fans of The Dubliners who miss the music and raucous energy of the legendary musicians are in for a treat.
The songs come thick and fast, including classics like Belle of Belfast City, Dirty Old Town, The Banks of the Rose, Star of the County Down, and a truly heartfelt The Town I Love So Well.
And if you’re a newcomer to the inspiring music, the show uses simple but powerful staging to unlock the story behind the music - recreating some of the old public house haunts of the original band, while archive monochrome photographs and press clippings are projected on a screen behind the musicians.
Spanning 50 years, the show takes the audience on a nostalgic and charming journey, from the band’s early days singing in O’Donoghue’s pub to their appearance at Top of the Pops in 1967 – where the band sung their bestselling single Seven Drunken Nights.
The spellbinding magic of their music is replicated almost to the note by an equally talented group of Irish musicians, who will be performing nearly 300 times during a record 42 weeks on the road.
The current UK and Irish leg of the tour ends on June 24. Details of dates, venues and how to book can be found at https://sevendrunkennights.com/tickets/. For accessibility information see individual venue websites.