Kielty became the host of RTE’s flagship late-night programme The Late Late Show in September, taking over from former star presenter Ryan Tubridy. RuthAnne said: "When I was approached by RTÉ to compose the music for the Toy Show The Musical, they sent me the story and I immediately thought of this song I had written with Jennifer Hudson And Busbee.

Seeing the little girl’s faces when meeting their inspiration is a memory that will stay with us for a very long time. I didn’t want to do the Disney version of it, where you fly in all the scenery, and it’s all very jazz-handy. It’s 85 minutes of having kids in an auditorium and showing them the potential of theatre." Stevie’s passion for sport was palpable from the moment we met him, and nobody deserved to meet their heroes more.Speaking to the Irish Examiner in November 2022, The Late Late Show producers Jane Murphy and Katherine Drohan revealed that they had first thought about the idea prior to COVID-19. During the pandemic, Murphy and Drohan worked together and developed a two-year plan. [11] Production history [ edit ] The theme for this year’s extravaganza was festive film Elf and it was a magical night of song, dance, laughter, toys, special moments and festive fun. We’ve had seven weeks of what we call workshop. We work on different drafts of the script, and you get actors in and you play with it and remould it, re-draft it. Lisa Tierney-Keogh is an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced internationally and at home. Speaking about RTE's new project Lisa said, "I'm absolutely thrilled to be writing Toy Show The Musical, a celebration of the spirit and heart of this beloved Irish phenomenon.”

Asked if he hoped Tubridy and other former Late Late Show host Pat Kenny would be watching, and maybe even taking notes, Kielty said: “I wouldn’t be expecting any of those guys who’ve done such an amazing job on the show to be taking notes from me. The story involves one little girl's Toy Show adventure as she and her family prepare for the biggest night of their lives. It's a story about family, tradition and how the magic of the Toy Show brings the whole world together each year for one truly amazing night. When you’ve grown up and you’ve watched that show with your family, and you know the heritage of it, what it means to people here and what it means to Irish people around the world. It’s an energetic opening from Kielty – though perhaps not quite the tinsel thunderstorm his predecessor whipped up each November on the Toy Show. In place of Ryan Tubridy’s beloved Xmas jumpers, his successor arrives, yellow tights and all, dressed as Will Ferrell from Elf – tonight’s broadcast doubling as a tribute/shameless plug for the movie which marks its 20th anniversary this year (and cough, cough, is returning to cinema).

'ONE OF THE CRAZIEST THINGS RTE HAVE DONE'

We are going to look at this little kid, Nell, and how she handles her situation in and around Toy Show night and her interactions with The Toy Show." Four Toy Show stars join Toy Show the Musical". RTÉ News. 16 November 2022 . Retrieved 16 November 2022. Walsh, Rowena (5 November 2022). "Toy Show — The Musical: 'We had a silly dream and now it's reality' ". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 6 November 2022. Toy Show The Musical is coming to Dublin stage". RTÉ News. 14 May 2022 . Retrieved 5 November 2022.

Alex Hughes, who delighted the entire country playing the Star Wars theme on bagpipes on the Toy Show in 2017, has also been added to the impressive cast.Although only 26, Séimí is an accomplished theatre director and is an associate director at the prestigious National Theatre in London.

McNally, Tadgh (20 May 2022). "Casting opens for RTÉ's Toy Show The Musical". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 6 November 2022. He said it was a “pinch-me moment” to be presenting the Toy Show, but said whether he would be singing or dancing “remains to be seen”.

LESS THAN HALF CAPACITY

Four incredible Toy Show TV stars are set to join in the brand-new RTÉ production, Toy Show the Musical. Writing in The Irish Times, Sara Keating praised the staging and prop design, but felt that the show made too much of the Toy Show's wider significance, and wrote that "it is difficult not to feel cynical about the artistic intention of what is essentially a spectacular, self-congratulatory marketing ploy." [17] Ruth O'Connor on the Irish Examiner wrote based on a preview performance that the story was "heartwarming". [18] Hyland, Claire (4 October 2022). "Roll it there Jamie! Derry Girls' star lands lead in Toy Show, The Musical". Evoke.ie . Retrieved 6 November 2022.