Two Ennis performers made their Dublin stage debut last week as part of the ensemble in Sweeney Todd in Concert with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Aoife O’Gorman and Lily Christopher, both from Ennis, have been involved in stage school productions from a young age and have continued to pursue their passion through performances with community groups such as the Ennis Musical Society.
Lily initially got involved in theatre as a way of making friends and finding an extracurricular activity outside of school after moving to Ireland from South Africa as a child.
For Aoife, the love of theatre runs in the family. After growing up watching her family play in the band with the Ennis Musical Society, Aoife got involved at the age of twelve during the Society’s production of Annie. Since then, she has made an effort to perform as much as possible.
Aoife first became aware of the Dublin production through an Instagram post advertising an open call for performers aged 16 to 25 to audition for Sweeney Todd in Concert. She shared it with Lily, and the pair decided to audition. Both were ultimately selected as members of the chorus.
Reflecting on the opportunity, Aoife told The Clare Echo; “I love the show and I love Sondheim shows. I think it just sounded so cool that you could perform with the National Symphony Orchestra as well. It was a professional production and I didn’t know if we’d get in or what the story would be. But I just said we’d give it a shot. We thought we might as well try it now. I don’t know if we’ll get another chance.”
The cast began rehearsals in April with a full day of music work under the guidance of Broadway veteran Sarah Travis, who served as the production’s music supervisor. Travis is best known for her Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-winning orchestrations for the 2005 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd.
“She was just incredible,” said Aoife. “She really knew what she was doing. It was just cool to see someone who really knew the material.”
In the two weeks leading up to the show, rehearsals intensified. “The first week was just basically learning the music. And then the second week the orchestra came in and we had these leads coming in from the West End. And we could put it all together with them,” Lily explained.
The show took place in the National Concert Hall on Friday, July 25.
As part of the chorus, Aoife and Lily were positioned among the audience, a directorial choice that helped create a haunting and immersive experience.
“Our part in it was that we were in the chorus,” Lily said. “And essentially what our director wanted was for us to be able to scare the audience amongst us. So we were actually sat in the balcony behind the stage.”
Working under director Séimí Campbell gave the cast a new perspective on the show’s themes. Aoife said Campbell pushed the performers to think deeply about the contemporary relevance of Sweeney Todd.
“He was really trying to think about the context that we’re doing it in modern day and how it could impact the audience in today’s world. He was kind of looking at gender and how women get treated by men.”
Lily added that a symbolic new element was included in this production:
“We actually had a little boy singing The Ballad of Sweeney Todd at the start of the show. He was meant to kind of represent how Sweeney’s actions can be so influential to somebody so young.”
The cast featured around 70 performers, including 50 chorus members and 20 lead and ensemble singers. Leading the cast were acclaimed West End stars: Rob Houchen as Sweeney Todd and Anna-Jane Casey as Mrs Lovett.
For Lily and Aoife, working alongside professionals was a surreal and inspiring experience.
“It kind of didn’t really feel real. Just being able to watch them. Even just in rehearsals, how kind of normal they seemed. And then during the show, how they just were able to just burst into character,” said Lily.
One of the most memorable parts of the process for both girls was working with conductor Anthony Gabriele, who led the National Symphony Orchestra through Sondheim’s intricate score. His enthusiasm and mentorship left a lasting impact.
“He was just so passionate. He loved the music and loved teaching… He was so invested in us being young people who were doing this because we love it,” said Aoife.
Reflecting on the overall experience, Lily concluded; “It was amazing to be surrounded by these people every day and just being able to sing this amazing score… it was such a blessing.”
