GREAT songs, a moving story and bags of emotion are promised when Tommy Fleming beings ‘Paddy’ to the Palace Theatre in Redditch.
‘Paddy’ tells the story of emigration in all its shapes and forms through the eyes of young Irish emigrant Patrick Murphy (played by Patrick Fleming) who leaves County Mayo in Ireland in the 1960s in search of fame and fortune.
From an ordinary labourer Patrick quickly establishes himself as a young man keen to make an impression and quickly climbs the ladder of success. However, with success comes temptation and Patrick experiences a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences for the next 25 years.
The story unfolds in a spellbinding way with 13 original songs painting a vivid picture of the various characters, where they arre from and where they’re going.
Mixing comedy with emotion ‘Paddy’ finds the perfect perfectly as this true story of emigration is told in a sensitive and revealing way.
Patrick is one of Ireland’s most popular and successful artists and his involvement in ‘Paddy’ is seen as a natural progression in a career that has seen him perform sell-out solo concerts in Ireland, the UK, America and Australia as well as performing alongside artists like Phil Coulter, Kenny Rodgers and Elaine Page.
“I’m really looking forward to this project,” said Patrick.
” It has been a long time in the making and now that we’re in full rehearsals I know it has the potential to be a massive success. Emigration has touched practically every family in Ireland and I think we’ve gone about putting on a production that deals with it in a very unique way. I’ve always wanted to act so to be able to mix both acting and singing is really exciting.”
For director Tommy Marren, the project comes on foot of his hugely successful production of ‘It’s the Real McCoy’ which toured Ireland, the UK and America for over more than three years. He is confident that ‘Paddy’ will be equally as successful.
“People love a good story and I can promise them ‘Paddy’ isn’t just a moving story but it also features some incredible songs. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that the drama and the music sit comfortably together.
“The whole show is charged with emotion, comedy and strong songs. Only time will tell but I’m really confident if we can reproduce on stage what we’re doing in rehearsals this project will be magic.”
‘Paddy’ is on Thursday, November 10 at 7.30pm at the Palace Theatre and tickets are available now in person or at the box office on 01527 65203 priced £22 or buy online at www.redditchpalacetheatre.co.uk .
19th Apr, 2024
