Picture: Kieran Healy
When the annual Association of Irish Musical Societies’ awards – the musicals’ version of the Oscars – are handed out later in the year, it would be more than reasonable to expect Killarney Musical Society to right up there with the best of them.
Their version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice classic Evita was a sensational production that wowed the audiences at the Gleneagle INEC Arena for three nights.
It was a top drawer, high quality show with magnificent individual and collective talent, fabulous staging, a gripping storyline and an on-stage atmosphere that simply had to be seen to believed.
The show was directed by Liam Butler with Jimmy Brockie the musical director of the 16-piece orchestra, Stephen Ó Riain the choreographer and Sorcha O’Connor the chorus director.
But it was the sensational performance of leading lady Lily MacMonagle Shannon, as Eva Perón, that was the main takeaway from the event as she simply brought the character to life with her stunning voice matched only by her top class acting skills.
She brought the audience on an emotional rollercoaster that led to a more than deserved standing ovation and Lily’s talent, as she portrayed Perón’s early life, her rise to power and, ultimately, her death, certainly wouldn’t be out of place in London’s West End or on Broadway.
Lily previously scooped the coveted best actress award for her role as Charity in Killarney Musical Society’s 2018 production of Sweet Charity and Killarney Musicial Society just keep son delivering out of this world performances.
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