Daryn Crosbie is Behind The Curtain (Oh no he isn’t)…
Last year the Gaiety Theatre celebrated its 150th annual pantomime production with an all-time favourite, Cinderella. This year, the Gaiety takes its audience to Neverland, to recreate the story of our hero Peter Pan as he battles with the ‘’baddie’’ Captain Hook. Daryn Crosbie is the Gaiety’s pantomime writer, choreographer and director. The theatre was Daryn’s playground as a child. Over his lifetime, he has been either watching, performing or directing theatrical shows. For this article I met with Daryn, behind the curtain, to discuss the importance of this Dublin institution. The director explained the process of bringing the pantomime to the stage, how the latest generation of children respond to the shows and the lengths that he goes to ensure that all eyes are on the stage.
Daryn’s background is steeped in theatre, and the Gaiety in particular. His grandmother, Thelma Ramsey, was considered Maureen Potter’s “right hand woman”. Back in those days, a four-year-old Daryn was allowed to wander around the Gaiety unsupervised. During the performance, he would watch the audience from the orchestra pit, where his grandmother was playing the piano. Daryn joined the Billie Barry Stage School a few years later and, along with seven others from the school, made his debut in a Gaiety production of Mother Goose in the early 1980s. Maureen Potter was the star of the show. Younger people won’t remember Maureen, but right up until her last pantomime performance in 1987, she was the biggest theatrical draw in Ireland.
Daryn recalls his earliest memory of a Maureen Potter pantomime. It was the sound of tap shoes above, as Maureen danced to the music that his grandmother was playing. The rhythmic percussive sounds of the shoes fascinated him. That sound was honed to perfection in rehearsals, which were often held in Thelma’s home. Thelma would play the piano while Maureen found the rhythm with her feet. Daryn was hooked. It was no surprise, then, when he enrolled in the Billie Barry School.
When a theatre announces a new pantomime, there are regular questions from the media as to who has a starring role or what personalities are being cast. Undoubtedly, people like Jimmy O Dea, Maureen Potter and June Rogers were stars in past Gaiety productions. Daryn is quick to point out that nowadays there are no stars or personalities. The theatre itself is the star. Daryn refers to the Gaiety as ‘’the mothership’’ of theatres in Ireland. He believes that there is no better theatre in the country. In this respect, Caroline Downey, pantomime producer and owner of the theatre, deserves the plaudits. Under her management, the Gaiety has embarked on a major restoration project. The auditorium, the bars, every aspect of the theatre is being restored.
From the moment one enters the building at South King Street, the theatre looks magnificent. Caroline Downey has ensured that people are immersed in the beauty and history of the building. Upon climbing the stairs, there is a portrait of Maureen Potter; her arms open as if to greet patrons. The auditorium is immaculate with the wrap around dress and upper circles. The intricate plaster work is painted gold. The ceiling has wonderful patterns and cornice work in wine, green and cream colours. From its centre hangs a stunning chandelier. Before the curtain is raised, patrons take their seats by pulling down the plush red velvet cushions. This is a special space in which children experience a live performance, possibly for the first time. Then there is the anticipation as the sounds one hears are muffled conversations and the musicians tuning their instruments. All this happens before that moment when the curtain is raised. Many children’s mouths drop in awe and wonder at the visual spectacle in front of them.
Before the opening night, Daryn and Caroline, in her role as producer, have already decided on the title of the following year’s production. Sometime in February, after the run of the current pantomime, Daryn will meet with Caroline to give a broad outline of the storyboard for the new show. At this time, they discuss how big the cast will be and what sets are required. Basically, they are trying to get a handle on budgetary requirements. It is worth pointing out that set and costumes are designed and created in house. Ciara Cramer designs the sets while Jen Dwyer is in charge of costume design.
Around April, Daryn starts looking at casting the roles. Each scene is broken down and Daryn advises the costume department of how many people are on stage so as they know the number of costumes required. Conversations are held with the Musical Director regarding the scenes, so that songs and music can be worked on. By the summer Daryn is working on the script and finalising the auditions.
The Billie Barry kids are still being auditioned for the shows. Daryn picks two teams of young performers from the school that alternate on each performance. The cast is in place by the end of September. At that time the music is, in the main, sorted. However, if there is a new song that is popular, Daryn will find a place for it in the show. Daryn is constantly tapping into the playlists of his two nieces and five godchildren to find out the current trends. He also points out the importance of keeping up with the slang young people are using. For example, the use of “Gen Z” slang which has its origins in the drag circuit of the U.S. is currently very popular.
So, what happens when the curtain goes up? How do kids who are used to instant thrills on their phones or laptops respond to a live two-hour show? Children will let you know by their actions whether they are enjoying the performance or not. If they are bored, they will start stretching out their arms and yawn, or just move about looking for a distraction. Daryn spends the preview nights in the wings, watching the audience’s responses. If there are moments where the children are distracted, he will, as he says, “throw in a fart joke” or add a “kick up the bum” to keep the attention of younger audience members.
For children these days this live experience of theatre is totally new. Back in the day, many children grew up with family gatherings where they were expected to do a turn at singing a song or reciting a piece. There is not as much social interaction these days. Children often “meet” online to play games and chat, without setting foot outside of the door. The panto provides a platform for, and encourages, the children to participate in the drama that unfolds on the stage. Over the course of the two hours, the pantomime will release in the children a whole range of emotions and the theatre provides the space to react to those feelings.
Daryn describes the opening night, where the audience is made up solely of members of the Girl Guides. He likens the audience response to that scene in the film Gremlins, where the gremlins are swaying to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The gremlins sing along to Hi Ho Hi Ho as boxes of popcorn are flung about the place. It’s total bedlam. In making the comparison, Daryn can’t find the word to describe the excited shrieks of the girls, but you get the picture.
Daryn tells me of a video a mother made of her four-year-old son’s reaction to the curtain going up and the little mermaid seemingly floating in the centre of the stage. The child’s eyes were hooked to the stage. The mother described her quiet boy turning feral as he went through an emotional rollercoaster. Encouraged by the performers, he eagerly joined in at the call and response moments, totally engrossed in what was happening on the stage. Pantomime demands the participation of its audience. Daryn reckons that children today are more wild than they were a generation or two ago. This is because, in many ways, they have become more isolated, more protected. Reactions to gaming on their phones is experienced in isolation; children just scroll through and move on. Yet, for two hours in a theatre, they are encouraged to let rip with no filter. The children react together as part of the performance.
Peter Pan is not a traditional pantomime. In the original story there is no dame, and every pantomime has to have a dame. So, adjustments are made to follow this basic rule. Joe Conlon plays the role of Nana to bring the dame into the story. Nicholas Grennall plays Captain Hook and Colm Quinn plays the title character.
Peter Pan runs in the Gaiety Theatre until January 5th 2025 and somewhere in the audience will be future actors, dancers, costume and set designers and a musical director.
Oh yes there will!
Words: Michael Herrity
