Home News Features Talented Rush group tunes up for Swords

Talented Rush group tunes up for Swords

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

WHEN Rush Musical Society brought its European premiere of ‘Hollywood Pinafore’ to Sweden two years ago, it received a tremendous reception. In fact, the talented north county Dubliners made such an impact that they have been invited to the town of Landskrona next month where they will perform ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. The society will first present ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at the Millbank Theatre Rush from March 11-14 and March 17-20 before heading for the Swedish town to perform on March 26 and 27. This will be the largest production ever brought to Landskrona with 68 people travelling from Rush. Eight Swedish children will make up the remaining cast. Landskrona is a port town in Skane in Southern Sweden, northwest of the city of Malmo and has a population similar to Swords. Rush Musical Society forged a connection with the town nearly 10 years ago. Mary Maxwell, a spokesperson for Rush Musical Society, said: “Through a friendship between the vice chairperson of Rush Musical Society, Barry Kavanagh, and Tommy Olsson, chairman of Landskrona Riksteaterförening, a common interest in musical theatre was discovered and has been maintained and strengthened ever since. “Plans are well underway to bring the show, currently in rehearsal, to Landskrona in March following the planned performances in the Millbank Theatre. “Further interest and excitement is being stirred by the use of a live orchestra in the pit. The touring professional show usually uses orchestral tracks for their productions.” Ms Maxwell said the nearest city to Landskrona is Malmo where a third level conservatory of music educates students from all over Sweden. “The professor of Orchestral Studies there will choose the players for the orchestra to play in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’,” she stated.  Opportunities to play live with musical theatre outside of the main cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg are rare. Representatives from the National Association of Community Theatres in Sweden will attend the performance in Landskrona.  Ms Maxwell said so much interest has been generated that talks are already underway with a view to developing further cultural links with Fingal. “The group will deserve a holiday after all this work, not least for presenting the talents of a small town in north county Dublin to a wider audience but for forging links which may lead to many interesting future developments,” she said. Rush Musical Society is believed to be the only Irish amateur musical society touring a full production outside of Ireland this year. “Obviously, touring a production of this scale to Sweden incurs significant costs for the society,” added Ms Maxwell. “We are most grateful to have Pearse Trust Ltd on board as sponsors but we are seeking further support from companies who share our beliefs. “Now more than ever it is vital that we rise above the doom and gloom to show that with the right spirit, commitment and belief, we can overcome any obstacles to achieve ambitious goals and demonstrate the true spirit if the Irish people.” If you would like to sponsor Rush Musical Society in its endeavours, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact Barry Kavanagh on 086-8740713.