Co-directors Phillip McMahon & Jennifer Jennings talk upcoming dance show ‘WAKE’: “Irish artists are leading a contemporary revival of our culture”

The THISISPOPBABY company lands on the West End stage with this new montage blending cabaret with Irish culture. Guillermo Nazara chats with its creatives, to learn all the facts about the development of a show that promises to have audiences in clover in every sense of the word.

How did the idea for this show come about?

An Irish wake is the ultimate all night party. A gorgeous liminal space and time filled with music, story, dance, hijinx, and shared catharsis.

This was the opening impulse for our spectacle entertainment, WAKE. We wanted to make a show that platformed the very best of the extraordinary talent on the island of Ireland, as well as showcasing Irish culture through a high-octane contemporary lens. And so, we built a show around the skills of our family of performers with the Irish wake as the show’s narrative spine.

Apart from its mixture of Irish culture and cabaret, what makes this production stand out from other club-style shows?

WAKE is spectacle theatre. The kind of event that defies categorisation and exceeds expectation. It’s a cultural mash-up; a heady cocktail of trad instruments, live band, Irish tap, fierce spoken word, outrageous cabaret, jaw dropping aerial, and big production numbers. It’s foot stomping, heart pounding, hands-in-the-air fun. We’ve poured our passion into making it, and the performers leave everything on that stage each night.

The company’s mission is to reconfigure perceptions of Irish culture. How will that be achieved through this show?

The wake is widely known as an ancient all-night Irish funeral rite, but more than that, it’s a magical act of transformation that lifts the veil between this world and the next, facilitating magnificent change. Theatre does that too – it holds space for shared experience and allows for collective catharsis. And so this epic show was born.

Brimming with glitter, beats, and banging tunes, and described by critics as ‘Riverdance for club queens’, this is a new era for Irish culture as the world knows it. WAKE takes tradition and flips it on its head in a show that is both a celebration and an outpouring. It has become a public ritual that brings communities from all walks of life together to experience joy, grief, and release.

Do you think there’s a global misconception of Irish culture in some way?

If anything, there’s a renewed interest in Irish culture, and Irish artists are leading a contemporary revival of our culture – reimagining what Irish culture is and can be. Films like An Cailín Cúin and Kneecap are drawing huge audiences and Oscar buzz, Hozier is one of the world’s biggest stars, and Bicep are keeping the world raving. It’s a great time for our culture and WAKE is a huge part of that celebration.

What has the process of developing this show been like?

WAKE’s creative process is a family affair with our creative team and artists. The creation period is often the most magical time, trying and failing and then trying and succeeding. Our goal during creation is to be wild, beautiful, funny, silly, heartfelt – and to aks ourselves how far we can push each.

Is there any kind of storytelling woven through the acts?

There’s a saying in Ireland: “You have to be invited to a wedding, but anyone can show up to a wake.” WAKE’s narrative is about transformation. Shedding the old and ushering in the new.

Have you found any particular challenges from a creative perspective?

This is a big show with a big cast and a big creative team. At a time when theatre is getting smaller, we are going bigger. That comes with so many challenges, but it’s really really worth it.

Are there any highlights in the show you’d like to flag?

Watch out for the giant balloons!

Why come see WAKE?

WAKE is an invitation to come together for a night of joy. In these times of division and isolation, it’s a reminder of the power of theatre, of live events. To be in big rooms with fellow citizens, friends, loved ones. To enjoy a night out together, to share joy, to have blazing craic with a theatre full of like-minded folk. To laugh, breath, roar, cry, together. That’s the Irish wake – demanding we get together, live.

WAKE plays at London’s Peacock Theatre from 2 to 5 April. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara