A sparkling new romantic comedy recreating the glory days of Belfast’s great department stores is the festive highlight at The Theatre at the Mill this Christmas.
The Shop at the Top of the Town is a festive comedy musical drama created by one of Northern Ireland’s most exciting new playwrights, Michael Cameron, who also penned the plays Ruby!’ and ‘Carson and the Lady’. Colm G Doran directs this brand-new production, which features original music by Garth McConaghie.
The show steps back in time to Christmas in Belfast in 1972, the heyday of the classic luxury stores when Robbs, Anderson & McAuley, and Robinson & Cleaver all competed for the best festive window displays while children queued patiently for their trip to Santa’s Winter Wonderland.
Nestled among these famous stores is Hoffman’s – The Shop at the Top of the Town – whose owner, Felix Hoffman, has a whole shopping list full of festive woes. The new security barriers are affecting trade, his faithful staff have their minds on romance and Felix fears his wife Cilla might be hanging her tinsel on someone else’s tree! Meantime, will the store Santa stay sober long enough to deliver all the presents?
A photo of Michael with Santa during the early ’70s sparked an idea for a story and then he spent months doing research, talking to former employees of some of Belfast’s iconic retail palaces.
“I think most families have a treasured childhood family Santa snap hidden away somewhere, don’t they? Sadly, I’m of an age where mine is in black and white, but it was that sense of Belfast nostalgia that made me want to recreate those long-gone days of department store shopping when everyone got dressed up to go ‘into town.’,” said Michael.
“During my research, I was very fortunate to be able to meet a group of people who worked in those iconic stores and they gave me lots of funny and poignant stories some of which I can’t repeat! ! Their memories gave me a real feel for what it was like to work in a department store back then and I’ve tried to write a script full of nostalgia and glamour. Once the script was finished, I began writing the song lyrics which were then passed to our genius composer Garth McConaghie who has created some stunning melodies and soundtracks,” he added.
With the Christmas theatre scene packed with pantos, children’s musicals, and adult comedies, the creative team at Theatre at the Mill wanted to do something different so Michael looked to the romantic comedies of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
“I thought there was a real appetite for a warm-hearted play that captures the magic of Christmas. I love the old James Stewart film classics such as ‘The Shop Around the Corner’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ so my aim has been to create a show which reminds audiences of those classic days of Christmas musicals when all the family gathered together to watch,” said Michael.
The Shop at the Top of the Town boasts a strong ensemble cast of Northern Ireland theatre heavyweights such as Sean Kearns, Marty Maguire, Libby Smyth, and Mary Moulds as well as exciting new talents Rosie Barry, Rory McCollum, and David Marken.
It also has a talented creative team including director Colm G Doran, who worked with Michael on Ruby! and Carson and the Lady. Providing the music is composer and music director Garth McConaghie of Derry Girls fame and lighting is by Ciaran Bagnall who recently worked on the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.
Providing that vintage 1970s look is costume and set designer Liz Cullinane and West End choreographer Sarah Jane Johnston will be putting the cast through their paces.
The Shop at the Top of the Town will run from December 2-31 at Theatre at the Mill. Tickets for the show are £21.00 and available online here or by calling 0300 123 7788.
