Christmas at The Helix
17 December 2003

The holiday season is in full swing at The Helix. It started on December 2nd with a sell out Christmas play for children, 'Santa's Magical Christmas', and it got into it's stride last week with Marie Louise O'Donnell's stunning production of 'The Ladies Blue do ... ..Christmas!!'. For this production Marie Louise's theatre The Space was lit up like a big top, as indeed were the four characters, Petrah, Steelah, Max and their special guest Michelle Donnelly. In sequins, satin and, I think, spandex they performed Christmas songs by Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim and Henry Mancini among many others, the songs 'Sew On A Sequin' and 'I Like Me' were performed by kind permission of Fascinating Aida. We, the audience, were served mulled wine and mince pies and as we sang along and laughed at the funny bits and cried at the nostalgic bits it snowed on us, gosh did it snow on us, it snowed and it snowed and it snowed ... ...!!!

On Thursday night December 11 Enchiriadis Treis Choir Malahide presented Handel's Messiah in the Mahony Hall at The Helix. The performance was first class, the soloists were Orla Boylan, soprano, Alison Browner, alto, Iain Paton, tenor and Charles Johnston, bass, they were accompanied by The Orchestra of Saint Cecilia and the conductor was Brian MacKay. This was the first time Enchiriadis Treis performed at the Helix and they sold out, the Mahony Hall was full to capacity. Enchiriadis Treis, (taken from Musica Enchiriadis - Music of Many Voices), is a mixed adult choir of some 130 voices and it was founded in 1994 by Marion Doherty, Head of Music at St Patrick's College Drumcondra, (now a college of DCU). Our own extraordinarily talented tenor Howard Duncan, of the School of Computing DCU, is a member of the choir and he performed with them at The Helix on the night.

The Christmas Season continues at The Helix with the enormously popular children's play 'Charlotte's Web' by American essayist, playwright and Pulitzer Prize special citation recipient EB White, the production runs from December 16th until January 4th. and the Christmas concert of the National Chamber Choir, DCU's choir in residence, 'Puer Natus Est Nobis', on Thursday December 18th which includes in it's programme music of Bach, Byrd, Gabrieli and Monteverdi.

After Christmas the New Year at The Helix gets of to a flying start with a concert from The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland on Thursday January 1st, the programme includes Mozart, Shaun Davey's 'Brendan Voyage' and 'Sleigh Ride' by Leroy Anderson; then from the 6th to the 10th of January the Russian Ice Stars present 'The Sleeping Beauty' a magical fairytale on ice with Tchaikovsky's wonderful music.

There's certainly something for everyone in the Christmas programme at The Helix this year and with the staff and volunteers of The Helix I wish you all here at DCU and beyond a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.