A PLAY scripted and directed Rosalind Scanlon, Lovin’ Daniel, will run for one night only as a headline event at the 20-year anniversary celebrations of the Hammersmith Irish Centre on June 12.
The deceptively comical but deeply moving play about a group of fans of Daniel O’Donnell had a successful run last year at London’s Wimbledon Theatre and is performed by Scanlon’s innovative Older Irish Women’s Community Drama Workshop.
Scanlon was artistic director at the Hammersmith Irish Centre for many years but is also a popular playwright and dramatist — previous shows include Dance Hall Days and Molly Malone the Musical at the Riverside Studios.
What marks Scanlon’s productions out from the norm is her ability to pick quirky subjects and ideas and infuse them with sensitivity, compassion and the universal human experience. The inclusion of amateur actors from the Irish community in London also lends reach. The group also champion Irish women as actors and as historical figures.
Lovin’ Daniel tells the stories of the fans of Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell who, throughout the past two decades, has acquired millions of adoring fans (mostly women) from all over the globe. The script was developed through a series of community drama workshops and interviews with genuine O’Donnell fans.
Set in 1988, Noreen Docherty, the manager of The West London Branch of The Daniel O’Donnell Fan Club gathers Daniel’s fans together for the first ever D.O.D Fan Club Convention. During the evening Daniel’s fans share their stories, tales, dreams and desires about him. The cast includes Anne Fox, Anne McDaid, Monica Melia, Siobhan Moore, Rita Rose, Maureen Sullivan and special guests Nora Connolly and Mark Kavanagh, as Daniel O’Donnell.
Lovin’ Daniel will be performed at The Polish Centre Theatre, 238 King Street, Hammersmith, on Friday, June 12. Tickets £10/£8 from 020 8563 8232 or www.irishculturalcentre.co.uk
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