The Irish are coming...

And we’re off! The 2008-2009 season kicked off this weekend with a matinee performance full of jigs, reels and rubbery-limbed Irish dancers. “An Irish Homecoming” featuring Cherish the Ladies, Bohola, Dermot Henry and the incredible Maura O’Connell brought a healthy dose of the Emerald Isle to Richmond on Saturday afternoon. Audience members braved the threat of a tropical storm to join in on the party, and the performers did not disappoint. Two hours after the first performance, they did it again in front of a sold-out evening crowd. It was announced over radio that we even had a few returning patrons from the afternoon show, purchasing standing-room only tickets. Aside from perhaps a change in location to a crowded Dublin pub, the group did not leave much room for improvement. The jigs were tight, the ballads were strong and they even managed to dig up perhaps the only Irish love song with a happy ending, shocking all in attendance.

For a member of the MCA production staff, the start of the season marks the beginning of what I like to call “Whatdayisitagain?”-itis. Days start to bleed in to each other, dates and times dance around my head with little Google Calendar alarms going off, and all hope of telling a Wednesday from a Saturday is lost. And yet it’s a small price to pay for events like Saturday, for the opportunity to work with a seemingly endless amount of incredibly talented performers and to watch the audience enjoy the results.

But do me a favor – the next time you see me looking confused behind the sound board, kindly remind me what day it is…