Past dunshaughlin students star on west end stage

Ronan Keating’s arrival to the role of Guy in the West End production of ‘Once’ means that two past pupils of Dunshaughlin Community College are playing lead roles in London musicals.
Keating has returned to this side of the world from Australia, where he lives with partner, Storm Uechtritz in Sydney, to take on the role in Once The Musical at the Phoenix Theatre playing Guy opposite Jill Winternitz as Girl.
Last month, Killian Donnelly from Kilmessan moved from Roddy Doyle’s ‘The Commitments’ to play opposite Beverly Knight in ‘Memphis the Musical’ in the Shaftesbury Theatre.
Knight and Donnelly play Felicia Farrell and Huey Calhoun alongside a remarkable cast of 28 singers and dancers. Huey Calhoun is a poor white guy who inveigles his way into one of Memphis’s Beale Street clubs, where he falls head over heels for both the intoxicating rhythm and blues sound, and a young black singer, Felicia. He then insinuates himself into one of Memphis’s mainstream radio stations as a DJ and substitutes R&B for the blandness of Patti Page and Perry Como, with devastating results. But Tennessee’s strict segregation laws inevitably blight his romance with Felicia, and she is forced to choose between Huey and her burgeoning career.
Of the Kilmessan man’s role in the production, the Daily Telegraph reviewer said: “Charismatic actor Killian Donnelly brings winning verve to the role, summoning irreverent shades of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietman, standing his ground with admirable determination and persuading us that Huey’s motives – and those of the show itself – remain genuinely pure-at-heart, born of fandom’s passion not grasping opportunism.”
Michael Billington of The Guardian writes: “We all know that Beverley Knight, who plays Felicia, is one of the best soul singers around, and she duly combines charisma and power. But, as I’ve never seen The Commitments stage show, the Irish-born Killian Donnelly is new to me and something of a revelation. He conveys all of Huey’s good-natured naivety while also proving, as he tips his titfer over his brows like a boy Sinatra, that he can punch across a song with real panache.”
Time Out magazine said: “Christopher Ashley’s production is inescapably fabulous, with two near-faultless leads. Looking like he’s fresh from a heist on Justin Timberlake’s wardrobe, Donnelly is a joy to watch: rangy, with an anarchic charisma and adorably eccentric chicken dance.”
The London Evening Standard wrote that it is the vocal gloriousness of Knight and charisma of Donnelly which make a show that’s not exactly innovative feel fabulous.
Thirty year-old Donnelly is a past student of Dunshaughlin Community College, and a protege of St Mary’s Musicals Society, Navan, and worked in many Irish theatre productions before making his name in the London production of ‘Les Miserables’, followed by roles in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Billy Elliott’ and ‘The Commitments’. Earlier this month, some 320,000 extra tickets for Memphis the Musical were put on sale as booking was extended to 31st October 2015.
Sutton native Ronan Keating (37) moved with his family to Dunsany in the 1980s, and they later lived at Tara and Dunshaughlin, where he attended the local secondary school and joined with a group of local lads in the band Namasté, winning a talent contest in Dorey’s Forge in Moynalvey. He went on to become a member of Louis Walsh’s successful boyband, Boyzone, leaving school to pursue his career in pop music, a decision which didn’t impress his parents at the time.
The West End production of Once opened in April 2013 and went on to win the 2014 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music. Based on the much-loved Oscar-winning film, Once bursts onto the stage with a musical celebration of love, friendship and Irish music performed by cast of actor/musicians.  A chance encounter between a girl and guy from different worlds but with a shared love of music and songwriting sparks a deep connection and a tender, unexpected romance.
Once is based on a book by award-winning Irish playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh, which became the 2007 motion picture written and directed by John Carney, with music and lyrics by Academy Award winning Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová who, for ‘Falling Slowly’, won the Oscar for Best Original Song.  Once won the 2013 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre album.