After conquering a million people across Europe, Asia and Australia, the Irish Celtic phenomenon has a new territory in its sights: North America. And it’s Montreal that will act as a gateway for the troupe, expected this week with its show At the heart of Irish legends.
Shows celebrating traditional Irish culture (read: music and dance) are legion, Lord of the Dance and river dance being probably the best known of the lot. And Nicolas Ferru, producer of the project At the heart of Irish legendsdoes not hide it: he finds some of these other proposals redundant, even boring.
“The other shows all offer the same thing, catering to die-hard fans. But two hours of tap dance without a single word, personally, I find it frankly redundant, ”he says, on the phone from France.
So what sets his show apart from others? Its accessibility. Because the Irish Celtic show has at its heart a very precise plot, narrated in real time.
We will therefore discover the story of a pub owner in Ireland who had to hand over the keys to his business to his son to ensure its continuity.
Whiskey and Guinness
At each of the six performances from Inside Irish LegendsMontrealers will therefore be transported directly between the doors of this establishment, a veritable microcosm where whiskey and Guinness beer flow freely.
“In an Irish pub, all layers of society mingle and can chat over a drink. This is exactly what we wanted to create; a show that makes people travel in this unique universe, with around twenty artists on stage”, explains Nicolas Ferru. Always with a view to reaching a wider audience, Irish Celtic will also evoke various memories in spectators, in particular with its nods to monuments of popular culture: blockbuster films Brave Heart (Braveheart), The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic.
- The Irish Celtic troupe will present their show At the heart of Irish legends at Espace St-Denis in Montreal from January 26 to 29.