Irish Annie's
There is something about the Irish spirit that is contagious. You can’t help tapping your foot or clapping along when the band start to play an Irish tune, and Irish Annie’s has just that effect on the audience for the full two- and a-bit hours it is on the stage.
Telling the story of landlady Annie, her pubs future lies in the hands of Moira the Money Lender, but with the help of her regular madcap customers, they hope to win over Moira’s ‘nice side’ and save their local watering hole for many years to come.
The production is overflowing with comical characters, such as Porky the Postman, played by Leslie Longley, who likes to tell a few stretched truths and has a penchant for Elvis Presley, or Noel Singen-Smithe, played by Richard Barry, the former actor who has spent the last twenty years drinking at the end of the bar, rather than treading the boards. His solo rendition of ‘Danny Boy’ is astounding.
Samantha Alton plays Irish Annie, a good storyteller who portrays the titular landlady well and integrates nicely with the other characters.
The performance is a clear celebration of Irish culture and although the jokes are cringingly bad, they are delivered in a ‘pantomime style’, which comes across well to the audience.
Seamus Murphy, played by the show’s writer Asa Murphy, takes us through some of Irelands most famous songs (Dirty Old Town, Whiskey in the Jar and Galway Shawl, to name a few), with his clear-cut vocals and backed by The Shenanigans, a live six-piece band, creating a great atmosphere and has the audience singing along in no time.
However, some of the song’s lyrics are contradicting to the storytelling (for example: Annie explains that she moved from Ireland to start a fresh and take over the pub, but then later reminisces about her parents owning the pub before her), which although only a small detail, is a little bit confusing.
A big draw for the audience with this production is the guest appearance of Ricky Tomlinson. Appearing as one of Annie’s regulars, Tomlinson joins the stage mid-way through Act One, where he is ‘interviewed’ by Seamus, recalling some funny stories from his time on The Royle Family. This was clearly a great delight for the audience, but it gave the impression that the story stopped whilst this was happening and then restarted again afterwards, rather than integrating the concept into the story itself, so it felt a bit forced.
Setting aside these small critiques, it was an enjoyable evening which the audience clearly thrilled at taking part in, with the auditorium in fine voice throughout.
This show was reviewed at Crescent Theatre, Birmingham on the 3rd June 2025. Irish Annie's is on tour until 4th July. Tickets available here: Tour Dates
Review written by Rachel Louise Martin
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