The Only Kristian (in Heaven): Conor’s Blog
By Conor O’Neill
Live theatre is back! I’m so excited to actually get back on a stage and not have to worry about my internet crashing mid performance. Thankfully for the audience it’s an in person performance as well, because I think the show will have a much bigger impact when seeing it play out in front of you.
The Only Kristian (In Heaven) is very different from any panto I’ve seen before. It’s incredibly funny, filled with great jokes and an amazing soundtrack, but there’s a darker plot woven in that will have you in tears in no time. Without giving away too much, the show follows Shane’s struggle with his mental health and the repercussions that has on other characters such as his best friend, Kristian (Callum Ledwidge) and his sister, Bríd (Eadaoin Power). During the last year and a half, mental health became a really important topic as so many of us struggled at some point or another during the lockdowns, so I really like that instead of doing a pure comedy like past pantos, we’re addressing mental health issues and the importance of looking after yourself.
All of these characters are just normal people, and it helps make them relatable as we’ve all known people like them in our lives at some point or another. I play Shane, which has really taken me out of my comfort zone, as he’s a quite serious and complicated character, and I’m more used to playing comedic relief characters. He goes through a lot of change throughout the show and I’ve loved getting to see that character development and portray it. Mental health is always a tricky subject to get right, you don’t want to go too serious in a panto but you also can’t take a topic like this too lightly either. There’s a good middle ground with Shane, where it’s realistic but the show still leaves you with that feel good vibe at the end.
I’ve loved being a part of this show so much and the rehearsals are normally the highlight of my day. There’s just such a great energy amongst the cast and crew which makes it really enjoyable, and it’s been incredible seeing the progress from the first week up until now. With the change in semester length, we’ve had less time than normal to rehearse for this panto but you wouldn’t even notice, everyone has put so much work in and knows exactly what they’re doing at this point, it’s already shaping up to be a spectacular show and I am beyond excited for opening night to finally show everyone the result of all our work.
