Get Happy! The Judy Garland Songbook is coming to the National Concert Hall in Dublin and Wexford Opera House. RTÉ Entertainment's John Byrne talks to the conductor and brains behind the show, Niall Kinsella.
Niall Kinsella is a man on a mission. A bit like Tom Cruise's IMF agent Ethan Hunt, he's taken on a task that would seem impossible to most folk. Maybe not as dangerous, but it's certainly demanding, ambitious and not for the faint-hearted.
Following the success of a programme of Rodgers & Hammerstein's music, which was recorded for broadcast on Lyric FM, and last year's sold-out show celebrating the best of MGM musicals, he decided to set up his own orchestra.
And not just any oul' orchestra either. 42-strong, The Niall Kinsella Orchestra is dedicated to bringing audiences the best tunes from film and musical theatre, beginning with Get Happy! The Judy Garland Songbook.
On vocals is US singer Joan Ellison who has performed songs associated with Judy Garland coast to coast in the States with more than 70 concert orchestras.
Such is her stature in the world of Judy Garland all of Joan's arrangements come with the full support of the Judy Garland Heirs Trust.
The show takes place on Friday July 18th at the Wexford Opera House, and the following night at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. It promises to be a spectacular show.
The hit parade includes: The Trolley Song, The Man That Got Away, Get Happy, Come Rain or Come Shine, Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart, Stormy Weather, The Boy Next Door, Chicago, That's Entertainment and - of course - Over the Rainbow.
Catching up with Niall Kinsella, it's self-evident that this is very much a labour of love for him.
John Byrne: Hi Niall. What is it about Judy Garland that she remains this massive icon more than a half-a-century since her death back in 1969?
Niall Kinsella: Firstly, it's her voice. She has this amazing, strong voice. And when you hear it you kind of just drop your jaw, and you just go 'Wow, someone’s actually singing like that’.
As well as that, I think it’s the fact that her singing is so emotional and everything she sings is rooted in emotion. Whether it’s a painful song like The Man That Got Away or something like Get Happy, which is joyous.
And she also had that indefinable star quality. And a lot of the character she played in her films were just so loveable. You couldn’t help but love her as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and then she did Meet Me in St Louis as well. You felt that Judy Garland could be your friend.
And you’ve assembled your own 42-piece orchestra. Not exactly the sort of thing you could put together in an afternoon! Can you tell us a bit about that?
I was talking about this to a friend the other day. And I said: ‘You just have to be a little bit mad to do it’. The thing is, I really wanted to do these sort of concerts, where we celebrate this music from classic Hollywood and Broadway music.
It’s so uplifting - and it brings me so much joy. I’ve done a few of these concerts before, with different orchestras, and the audience response has been breathtaking. They are so there to enjoy themselves. They love this music.
So I just thought, okay, I really want to set out my stall now, doing these types of concerts. And I thought probably the most effective way to do that is to set up an orchestra, more like a brand, that would become associated with big, Hollywood concerts.
Last year I did a concert of MGM musicals and that was the genesis for this. The MGM musicals are so uplifting - and nostalgic as well. I remember seeing all this films on TV when I was a child.
Music’s obviously been the number one, major obsession in your life. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got to this point?
I’ve always loved music, all kinds of music, since I was a child and trained as a classical musician. I started as a pianist, and eventually worked with choirs and started conducting then.
In the last five or six years I’ve really tried to shift the focus of my work towards conducting orchestras, and working with these kind of West End musical theatre singers.
It’s such an upbeat and joyous genre of music - and people always need a bit more joy in their lives. Now especially . . .
There’s so much that’s terrible in the world right now. I don’t watch the news anymore. I find it so, so difficult. So, to go to a concert and experience this music live is complete, total escapism. It brings totally joy - particularly if it’s uplifting music.
I think it’s really important to put the phone down, stop all the doom-scrolling - that we all do - and go to a concert. Go to something. I think live stuff is great because it really forces you to engage with it.
It’s an immersive experience and we’re here - literally - to entertain you. There’s nothing like a concert for cheering you up. And our concert is called Get Happy!
Can you tell us a bit about Joan Ellison, who'll be the featured vocalist in the show?
Joan is a fantastic singer from America. She’s been performing Judy Garland concerts right across the States as a guest vocalist. There’s so many orchestras over there.
As well as singing, she has also reconstructed and restored all of the scores for the music that we’re using from Judy’s original arrangements. So we’re not just getting the songs that Judy sang, we’re getting the original versions that you hear on her records and in her films.
I came across her work last year when I was doing research for my MGM concert, and I went: ‘Oh. My. God!’
Firstly, I was blown away by her singing. Then there’s the work she does to bring that authenticity back, playing off Judy’s own arrangements that she had for her concerts. That, for me, was a real thrill.
Not just to do it, but to do it so authentically, was really exciting.
And she’s fantastic. She’s just a great person and a great singer. We’re really excited having her on board. And it’ll be her first time in Ireland so these are her first concerts here.
Tickets for Get Happy! The Judy Garland Songbook at the National Concert Hall on July 19 can be purchased at www.nch.ie and for The National Opera House on July 18 at www.nationaloperahouse.ie
