Today i was in Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre today for the first time to see Thriller Live. It was probably the best live theatre / show / event i’ve been to…
The Show
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and i don’t think many other people knew what to expect either. To start off, it was a very surreil atmosphere… the place wasn’t full but judging from where i was sitting i’d say it was about 80-90% full. The music starting pumping and dancers appeared on stage to silence. If it had been a concert or at proper music venue, the place would be going nuts at this stage. So that was a bit weird… it was as if everyone wanted to cheer but didn’t know whether it was appropriate. Fast forward to the end of the show and people were up on their feet, waving hands, dancing etc…
so what happened in between? Well, singing happened. And dancing. Very good singing and even better dancing. The band were also right on the money. It was a Jackson 5 / Michael Jackson tribute show which could probably only have been bettered had those guys been up on stage themselves.
Recommended? Absolutely. Blows any theatre show i’ve ever been to out of the water. The pace was fast and constant, only disrupted by a 20 minute interval. I can’t recall all the songs sang but there were a hell of a lot, all with the signature dance moves & various different singers. This is a taste of what to expect…
Worst part about it was that it ended 🙂
Grand Canal Theatre
The whole area around the Grand Canal Theatre reminds me of London’s Canary Wharf a bit. Neat and tidy, easy on the eye… plenty of modern buildings & monuments all overlooking water.
The theatre itself is pretty impressive, but perhaps lacks the cosiness / luxury a London west end theatre for example. No gold swirls or red curtains, just ‘plain’ everything which probably works best for it as it’s a multi purpose venue.
I’m a constant lurker on your blog Sean. Keep up the good work.
I’m just commenting on this, as I was also at the show yesterday. I echo your sentiments. I didn’t quite know what to expect but was blown away by the quality of the dancing, singing, audience participation and the overall production quality. If the London shows had gone ahead 2 years ago, I can’t imagine them being any better than this.