Big night of Laois glitz and glam in store at Portlaoise Gala Silver Ball

Portlaoise Musical Society celebrate their 25th Anniversary this year with their most spectacular show yet – Guys & Dolls, A Musical Fable in November but first the group are looking forward to their next major celebration.

The Silver Gala Ball on Friday, October 25 at Midlands Park Hotel Portlaoise was launched recently with some of the current members, founding members and longest standing members.

The Silver Ball is set to be one of the most illustrious, glamorous and fun night of entertainment in Portlaoise this year. Past and present members, production teams, front of house and backstage crews have been invited to come together and attend the event which has been arranged for them to commemorate and celebrate the last unforgettable 25 years.

The Black-Tie Silver Gala Ball takes place at the four-star Midlands Park Hotel and the night will be filled with glitz, glamour and lots of entertainment and surprises throughout the night. Local group Trad Hits as well as DJ Steegan (Stephen Keegan), who is also a PMS member, will take to the stage to entertain guests on the night and have them singing along and dancing the night away!

Trad Hits is a new and exciting band that blends pop, rock and funk together with Irish traditional and folk music to create an unforgettable night of music and dance. Featuring the talents of James O’Connor, Bill O’Brien, Ruaidhrí Tierney, Kurt Dinneen Carroll, David Harte and Dale McKay, these musicians give their very own interpretation and take on some of music’s most popular songs with a trad twist. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Claire Carroll, Josie Keane, JJ Tynan, Catherine Scully, Timmy Keane, Olive Meagher get set to celebrate 25 years at the Midlands Park Hotel . Pic: Terry Conroy

Word has it that there will be the odd musical hit thrown in the mix! The six-piece band have played to great reception, performing at events such as Forest Fest, Portlaoise Trad Fest and Old Fort Fest, and in numerous venues across Laois.

The group are making the most of their anniversary celebrations and also held a fantastic commemoration of their first ever production ‘Oklahoma!’ at Fossey Mountain Ranch recently where many of the current turned up dressed for the occasion and enjoyed a BBQ meal and all the equestrian curiosities of the ranch in Timahoe.

In 1999, Laois Musical Society (which later became Portlaoise Musical Society) was established after a small group of people including Timmy and Josie Keane, Catherine Scully and Joe O’Brien met up to devise a plan for the county’s first musical society.

The group first took to the stage with the show Oklahoma! under the helm of its inaugural committee including Chairperson Timmy Keane, Vice Chairperson Joan McEvoy, Secretary Joe O’Brien, Assistant Secretary Carmel McSweeney, Treasurer Ken McPherson, PRO Seán Ó’Domhnaill and members Liam Ahern, Josephine Keane, Yvonne Murphy and Catherine Scully. The society immediately captivated the local community, its members and audiences and went on to present 23 more fabulous productions and were winners of many awards over the years. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Founding chairperson Tim Keane with current chairperson JJ Tynan.

The society went from strength to strength with high acclamations and winning a plethora of A.I.M.S. (All Ireland Musical Awards) Awards. In 2019, Portlaoise Musical Society won ‘Best Overall Show’ among others with Titanic - The Musical and ‘Best Overall Show’ (Runner-up), among others with Ragtime-The Musical in 2020! The latest successes for the society include runner-up awards in the 2023 AIMS Awards for ‘Best House Management’, ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ and ‘Best Technical’.

Portlaoise Musical Society which enjoyed a sell-out success, standing ovations and rave reviews for their most recent show Made in Dagenham, last November and the Irish musical premiere of Sunshine on Leith, featuring the music of The Proclaimers in 2022, are really excited now to bring Guys & Dolls, one of the most beloved Broadway shows to the stage at Dunamaise Arts Centre from 16th to 19th November for its Portlaoise revival.

Guys And Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong. The original production of Guys and Dolls got what might be the most unanimously ecstatic reviews in Broadway history. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pictured: Claire Carroll, JJ Tynan and Olive Meagher. Picture: Terry Conroy

Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, Guys & Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy that centres around Gambler Nathan Detroit, his girlfriend, nightclub performer Adelaide, his fellow gambler Sky Masterson and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown. Tickets are now on sale from www.dunamaise.ie

Tickets for the Silver Ball are priced €75 each or tables of 10 can be purchased at €750. To purchase a ticket please email: pmsturns25@gmail.com

The society also invite people to see their www.portlaoisemusicalsociety.ie which for information about the society and its events.