On Monday night at the Gaiety, this year's Cinderella did not go to the ball or anywhere else. She stayed home with her Ugly Sisters and someone else took over the theatre for the night: the legendary panto queen of the Gaiety stage, Maureen Potter.
It was a special one-off tribute to honour Maureen's long career, organised by John McColgan of Riverdance. Since August of last year, he had worked at bringing together Monday's array of friends and fellow performers, to thank Maureen for "enriching the lives of generations of theatre-goers," as he proclaimed to a full house.
Among the many people gathered in the Green Room before the start of the show were Gay Byrne and Kathleen Watkins. "I think the Gaiety was like a womb to Maureen," Kathleen reflected. "I'm just filled with admiration for her," said Gay, who was one of the evening's speakers. "Gobsmacked," was Maureen's pithy response to the evening.
Johnny Logan, expert in wondering what the meaning of another year is, had flown over from Germany for the night. Among the many folk performing were Des Keogh, Tony Kenny, Rosaleen Linehan, Donal McCann, Pauline McLynn, Niall Toibin, Eamon Kelly, Val Fitzpatrick, Michael Colgan, John Costigan, John Kavanagh, Kathy Nugent, Bob Collins, and Pa- tricia Cahill.
The matriarch of the dance troupes of Ireland, Billie Barry, was also there, keeping an eye on her 16 charges, the Billie Barry Kids. "We've just come from eating in Captain America's and they're high as kites," she confessed. A representation of Ireland's other famous dance troupe, Riverdance, was also there, performing a piece called Heartland.
Among the guests were Riverdance co-director Moya Doherty; broadcaster Marty Whelan and his wife, Mary; playwright Hugh Leonard and his wife, Paule; actress Barbara Brennan; broadcaster Mike Murphy; and Sean and Pat MacReamoinn. The President, Mrs McAleese, not only attended the show, but went up on stage herself at the end of the evening to unveil a specially commissioned portrait of Maureen by James Hanley. Although the Gaiety management has not yet decided exactly where in the theatre the portrait will hang, it will be somewhere the public can easily clap eyes on it. Oh yes, it will.
