Millennium Committee plans to recoup grant to Messiah XXI

The National Millennium Committee says it will recoup the £700,000 grant it made to the controversial Messiah XXI production if it becomes profit-making. The statement was made by the Government Chief Whip, Seamus Brennan, who is chairman of the Committee. The production, which cost more than a million pounds to stage, is a modern gospel interpretation of Handel's original. It was performed at the RDS and is due to be screened on RTÉ television on 30 December.

While the reviews of this brave production have been greatly varied, it is now becoming a bit like the old arts industry adage of art for arts sake, but money for God's sake. During the Dáil adjournment debate yesterday, Fine Gael's Enda Kenny sought assurance from Seamus Brennan about where any profits made from this production would go. Mr. Brennan replied that a percentage of profit had been promised to charity from the outset, and that if the production did make substantial profits the committee would recoup its grant money of £700,000 given towards cost of the production.

However, if one were to go by some of the reviews to date, the performers themselves would need to start walking on water to turn this into a profit-making venture. Aidan Twomey in the Irish Times, described it as breathtakingly crass, with guitar and tambourine cheesiness making a mockery of the intentions of a tasteless arrangement. He said that it was a magical as a bucket of vomit. However, the following day, the same newspaper's Victoria White said that she was one of those on their feet shouting and was so moved at several points that she had to dab her eyes. The public can judge for themselves when the show goes out live on RTÉ television 30 December.