This year’s DCU Cabaret was the perfect culmination of dance, music and theatre. Lit up
with candles surrounding the front stage, and in aid of St Francis Hospice, it was a night of
jazzy atmosphere.
Our first presenter, Sophie King started off the first half of the night, with Karl and Liam taking over after the interval. Karl Ormsby and Liam O’Keefe’s banter and sense of fun was very entertaining to watch, and Sophie’s comedic style of delivery had the entire venue laughing their socks off.
‘The Lady Masquerades’ (Caragh Davis, Olivia Foley, Annika Chow & Francis O’Neill) opened the show with a lively performance which set the high standard for the rest of the acts to follow. ‘All I’ve Ever Known’ from Hadestown, performed by Aaron Casey, Therése McCormack and Sean O’Connell, to ‘For Good’ from Wicked, sung by Leah Carney and Laura Ní Dhubhuir, each act executed their performance with great delicacy and skill.
The audience and I had the privilege to witness many duets with snappy acting, such as Hannah Murphy and Grace Collins’ performance from Grave Concerns, acoustic style solo performances, group
performances from musicals, and stand-up comedy that charmed us.
The performers adapted their performances to suit their own style. The musical performances showcased their emotive acting, and don’t even get me started on the harmonies. “We’ll see them in two
years on Broadway”, as Sophie put it, definitely fits the bill.
The second half of the night opened with the 1st year impressive rendition of ‘Will I’ from
Rent, and Ruby O’Kelly’s vibrato while she sang ‘Creep’ as a power ballad was incredible. While we
had many different interpretations of performance, Luca Porzio’s stand up comedy created the
perfect balance for the show and acted as a comedic icebreaker.
Iziegbe Osayimwen’s theatrical performance of ‘Maybe This Time’ had me intrigued to say the least, and
Stephen Murphy performance of ‘When I Was Your Man’ took a soulful and acoustic spin on a
typical piano ballad.
The six girls’ performance of ‘Labour’ (Caragh Davis, Olivia Foley, Francis O’Neill, Ailbhe McCaughey, Layla Salem & Lara London) still has me guessing how six people managed to harmonise so perfectly with one another, and Glee’s performance of ‘Can’t Remember to Forget You’, while dressed in suits and ties wowed the crowd. But of course, with Karl’s strong execution of ‘ I Don’t Care Much’, from Cabaret, this aligned very well with the theme of the night.
As the show came to an end, Ailbhe’s performance of ‘Silk Chiffon’ displayed with a
singer-songwriter quality was followed by a sneak peak of a song from the upcoming Panto,
performed by Helena Maher. This wrapped up the night perfectly to allow for one final act, where
each person took centre stage, ending with a well-deserved standing ovation from the
crowd.
If you enjoyed this year’s Cabaret, or wished you were there, don’t forget to see DCU Drama’s
upcoming shows: ‘Stella by Starlight’ on November 25th and 27th and the ‘Scooby Doosical’ from the 19th to the 21st of November, both performing in St. Pat’s auditorium.
Special thanks and credit to Megan Griffith Keane and Annika Chow who managed and
organised the event and all members of the Drama Society and Glee Society who took part in the show and worked behind the scenes. What a wonderful show!
Photo Credits: Sadhbh O’Grady Keeley