Clara MS 'Sweet Charity' cast list announced

Clara Musical Society has announced the cast list for its 2025 production of the acclaimed musical comedy, 'Sweet Charity' with local stalwart of the society, Aoife Digan, taking on the lead role of Charity Hope Valentine.

Aoife will play the role made famous by none other than Shirley McLaine in the 1969 film version of 'Sweet Charity' which explores the turbulent love life of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopelessly romantic but comically unfortunate dance hall hostess in New York City.

With music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon, the musical opened on Broadway in 1966, directed by Bob Fosse, and was adapted for the screen three years later.

Another stalwart of the musical theatre scene, American-born Joe Steiner, who most recently wowed audiences with a stellar performance in Athlone Musical Society's production of 'Urinetown' will play the role of Oscar Lindquist, the unlikely man that Charity eventually falls in love with.

Other hugely-talented performers whose names will be more than familiar to Midlands musical audiences including Aoife Fitzsimons,; Seana Stenson; Sinead Handy; Cherise O'Toole; Thiago Braga; Jonathan Kilduff; Ruth Kelly; Kaitlin O'Brien, Caoimhe O'Connor; Laoise Flanagan; Aoife Devery, Gráinne Donoghue and Ciara Finlay, will all play various starring roles in 'Sweet Charity'.

The 2025 production will be in the capable hands of Alan Recks and Dylan O'Keefe, who will return to Clara in the role of choreographer. A graduate of the Cork School of Music who has worked as a dancer on board Fred Olsen's Balmoral cruise ship and also on three separate TV series as a dancer, Dylan's return to Clara is a full circle moment for him as it is where he began his musical theatre journey in shows such as 'Cats' 'All Shook Up' and 'Chicago.'

Alan Recks needs no introduction to local audiences having been Musical Director for every one of the 'Tops of the Town' and musicals staged by Clara Musical Society since 1986, and Director of every musical since then!

For the 2025 production he takes the reins as Director, Musical Director and Chorus Master. In 2010 he received an AIMS nomination for Best Musical Director for Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' with Clara MS.

The musical society staged a very successful fundraising concert ' The Magic of Christmas' in the recently-refurbished St. Brigid's Church in Clara on December 19 last to raise funds for their 2025 production of 'Sweet Charity.'

Dates for the staging of 'Sweet Charity' have yet to be announced