On Tuesday night, tout le Dublin headed towards the Point Theatre, for the opening night of Les Miserables. Colm Wilkinson, who made the role of Jean Valjean his own in the original London and Broadway productions, has returned home in glory to perform here until May 15th. Such a big night ensured the presence of a big guest list: indeed, it was extraordinary that the national television and radio networks aired any programmes that night, as every presenter in Ireland seemed to be at the Point.
Among the guests were Gay Byrne and Kathleen Watkins and the Late Late Show's Maura Connolly, in her last season heading the team. Others from the media world included Carrie Crowley; Pat Kenny; Gerry Ryan; Gloria Hunniford; Marian Finucane; Des Cahill; Tony Fenton; Anne Doyle, who had left her tickets behind in the taxi; Joe Duffy; Ian Dempsey; Alan Cantwell; Lorraine Keane; Grainne Seoige; revisionist weatherman Martin King; Ronan Collins; and Larry Gogan.
Also there were boxer Stephen Collins; Noel Dempsey, Minister for the Environment; Dermot Ahern, Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs; Ita Green, Deputy Lord Mayor; Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald; and the American Ambassador, Mike Sullivan.
Although well after 11 p.m., the night was only beginning for the 600 guests who were ferried on special Stillorgan Flyer buses from the Point to the Burlington, where the lavish after-show party was going on. The ballroom and front bar had been transformed into candle-lit bowers of flowers, with the Les Mis images projected onto walls everywhere.
Drivetime radio rivals were keeping separate courts: Eamon Dunphy of Today FM was in the ballroom, while Myles Dungan of Five Seven Live was seen legging it up to the mezzanine of the front bar. Also among the party were Brendan Gleeson; Norma Smurfit; Eoghan Harris; Moya Doherty; John McColgan; Mary Black; Frances Black; Keith Duffy of Boyzone; and his manager Louis Walsh.
It was a bit like a huge wedding, with people sitting down to feast at a late-night supper at round tables in the ballroom, serenaded by a group of fiddle players who wove in and out of the tables. Champagne flowed all night. Meanwhile, in the more mellow front bar, the Cafe Orchestra entertained the crowd until the very wee hours of the morning.
