Celebrate St. Paddy’s at home (you can still wear green)
It’s March — and that means St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef and green beer.
This year, the bar-hopping may be curtailed, but there are two entertainment offerings to put on your calendar to help celebrate the wearing of the green.
Worcester’s Hanover Theatre presents “A Virtual St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan” in collaboration with WGBH on Thursday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m.
Appropriate for all ages, it features a great lineup of musicians, singers and dancers from around the world sharing Celtic, Pagan and Christian traditions to celebrate the music of the season.
Cast members for the virtual show include music director Keith Murphy, singer Matthew Byrne, musicians Nathan Gourley, Laura Fedderson, Hanneke Cassel,
Yann Falquet. Joey Abarta, Caitlin Nic Gabhann and Ciaran O’Maonaigh, dancer Emma O’Sullivan, and the Rasa String Quartet.
Tickets start at $42.50 for one household pass. Visit www.thehanovertheatre.org/virtualstpat for more info.
Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston in Boston will stream “A Toast to the Irish: A Glass Full of Music and Mischief ” from March 13-20 on its YouTube channel. Viewing links will be available on Reagle’s website and social-media platforms.
This virtual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day will premiere at 2 p.m., on Saturday, March 13, and run through 11:59 p.m.,, on Saturday, March 20.
“A Toast to the Irish” features some of Reagle Music Theatre’s most beloved Celtic songs, dances, stories and blessings. A mix of encore and new performances, the program features Erik Sachs, Liam Harney, the Harney Academy’s Irish Step Dancers, the Massachusetts Harp Ensemble, Sarah Pfisterer, Jen Ellis, Katie Connor, and everyone’s favorite humorist, Harold Jerry Walker, who also serves as the stream emcee.
“Given the ongoing restrictions due to COVID19, we are once again faced with presenting an online alternative to one of our most cherished holiday traditions, A Little Bit of Ireland,” said Robert Eagle, producing artistic director of Reagle Music Theatre. “Instead of kicking up our heels in the parlor, in person, we are inviting our friends, family, artists and audiences to raise a glass together online for this virtual party.” “A Toast to the Irish” is presented free of charge, but donations are gratefully accepted. Every amount of $10 or more keeps Reagle Music Theatre on track to return with live performances once this pandemic crisis is over. Visit ReagleMusicTheatre.or g/Support any time during or after the show.
For more information and to link to the stream once it goes live, visit ReagleMusicTheatre.org.
In the wings
: NEARY NOTES: Lowell-born and -bred playwright Jack Neary hasn’t let the pandemic thwart his creativity. He’s collaborating on a new musical play with fellow playwright Andy Dolan. It’s about the ’60s-era comedian Vaughn Meader, who caused a sensation with his JFK impersonations and subsequent “The
First Family” album, but found his career over when Kennedy was assassinated. They gathered a phenomenal cast recently, via Zoom, to read the first draft. The stellar lineup includes Tommy Carnes, Lizzie Cormier, Kathy St. George, Ellen Colton (whose screenwriter son was recently a contestant on “Jeopardy!”), Paula Plum, Richard Snee, John Manning, Jocelyn Duford, Sandra Blaney, Ashley Risteen, Jerry Bisantz, Lisa Abend, Gordon Clapp, Ernest Thompson and Cheryl McMahon. “It just doesn’t get any better than this,” wrote Neary on his Facebook post along with a screen shot. No kidding! Other Neary projects include work on a four-part Zoom documentary with his longtime friend Tom Hickey about their years growing up in Lowell’s Sacred Heart parish. They are seeking exterior pictures of businesses in the parish from the late ’50s through the parish closing in 2004. Check
Neary’s post on www.facebook.com/jackneary or email him at jackneary3@gmail.com for info.
: SUMMER THEATER: Hope springs eternal that the pandemic will end, people will be vaccinated, and we can return to some semblance of normalcy by summer. To that end, summer theater projects are starting to be announced, including two with plays penned by the aforementioned Jack Neary. Deertrees Theatre in Harrison, Maine (near Bridgton in the western lakes area), is celebrating its 85th season with an array of shows, including Neary’s “First Night” on July 1-2 at 7:30 p.m. Stars are John Manning and Jocelyn Duford, who made magic on stage in the Acting Out production two years ago, directed by Neary. He’ll direct again at Deertrees. Tickets are $32 at www.deertrees-theatre.org/firstnight-play. Interestingly, Gail Phaneuf, a playwright-actor-director with strong ties to Image Theater in Lowell, is
Deertrees’ new artistic and executive director. Visit the website for more on Phaneuf. Neary also announced that his “Kong’s Night Out” is on the lineup at the Alton Little Theatre in Illinois, Aug. 20-29. Here’s hoping both take place.
: WEEKEND OPENING: Cannon Theatre’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a zany radio play by Douglas Adams, opens virtually on Friday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m., and is available to access to all valid ticketholders anytime between then and March 14. Visit www.thecannontheatre.org for details.