Staff Report
“An Irish Christmas” by Kerry Irish Productions is coming to Santa Barbara for the first time, playing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Granada Theatre.
The show takes the audience on a journey through the Emerald Isle with superb dancing, singing and Irish traditional music. An authentic look at Irish Christmas traditions, it was taped by PBS to air during the holidays several years ago.
“An Irish Christmas” features an award-winning cast of dazzling Irish dancers led by special guests who are world champions: Scott Doherty (Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Rockin’ Road to Dublin), Tyler Schwartz (Magic of the Dance, Gaelforce Dance, Celtic Fyre), and Connor Reider (Celtic Fyre).
The are complemented by the members of the Kerry Dance Troupe, sensational Irish musicians from the Kerry Trad Orchestra, and a host of actors and singers.
“It is extraordinary how closely connected we are to our past. We are a product of so much that came before us, and our traditions are part of that inheritance,” said Margaret O’Carroll, who devised, directed and produced the show.
The audience will see such customs as the butter-making dance, chasing the wren on St. Stephen’s Day, and drawing down the half door.
“There is a value to these traditions,” she continued. “We are craftsmen and craftswomen who carry the stories to the next generation through every-day events such as storytelling, song, music, dance and our daily rituals. Folk theater is the protector, the interpreter, the narrator, the pulse, the heartbeat of these traditions.”
The Granada Theatre is at 1214 State St. Tickets range from $28 to $88, available at www.granadasb.org or by calling the box office at (805) 899-2222.
For more information, go to www.AnIrishChristmasTour.com or search YouTube for “An Irish Christmas.”
