Ceilidh the Musical Dances Into Shoreditch Town Hall Until 13 November
Ceilidh the Musical is running at Shoreditch Town Hall in east London until Friday 13 November, and the audience is part of the show. The run began on Thursday 23 October. Ceilidh is pronounced "kay-lee", and it is a Scottish dance party with live music, in which a caller shouts out the steps.
The musical was created by Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie. It was directed and choreographed by Sam Pinkleton, who won a Tony Award for Oh, Mary! on Broadway. It first premiered at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland, where Alan Cumming is artistic director. Cumming is also a co-producer of the show, and he joined the audience on press night, according to WhatsOnStage.
The story follows Leo, a caller, and his son Ramsay. Leo is played by David Rankine and Ramsay by Scott Gilmour. Kirsty Findlay plays Euna, Leo's English love interest, and George Drennan plays the Older Man. The plot is about handing on the art of calling from one generation to the next. The company is described by WhatsOnStage as a 17-strong ensemble, and it includes the songs "Something Like This", "Strip the Willow" and "The Dashing White Sergeant".
At Shoreditch Town Hall, people sitting on the ground floor are invited to join in at regular intervals. The venue's website says the show is a gathering of songs, stories and dances, and describes it as a brand new musical. It also warns of strong language, haze and loud music. Audiences are offered a dram, a small measure of whisky, along the way.
Tickets start from £20, according to a post on the show's Facebook page. The show's own website calls it a foot-stomping, heart-warming party.
In July, WhatsOnStage reported that the show would have a London run and then go on tour. The Shoreditch season is the London part of that plan.
For anyone who has never been to a ceilidh, the format is simple. Nobody needs dance experience, and the caller does the teaching. The show is built around that idea, with the cast calling the audience through the steps as the story unfolds.
