Review: The Clockmaker’s Daughter - St. Mary’s Choral Society

Society name: St. Mary’s Choral Society

Show name: The Clockmaker’s Daughter

Adjudicator date of attendance: 01/05/2026

St. Mary’s Choral Society presented a warm, heartfelt, and visually enchanting production of The Clockmaker’s Daughter, capturing the whimsical spirit and emotional sincerity of this beautiful musical with great care and affection. From the opening moments, the audience was drawn into a world that felt both magical and intimate, filled with warmth, humanity, and strong storytelling.

Director Des Henn guided the production with a clear understanding of the heart of the piece, allowing the emotional narrative to unfold naturally while maintaining a lovely pace and energy throughout. The storytelling was handled thoughtfully, with quieter moments given time to breathe while still sustaining momentum. Relationships between characters felt believable and lived-in, helping to create a convincing sense of community within the village setting. The production balanced comedy and emotion particularly well. The humour never felt forced, instead emerging naturally from character interactions and situations. Scenes involving Ma Riley brought genuine warmth and laughter to the performance, providing welcome moments of levity that complemented the more emotional aspects of the story beautifully. There was a strong emotional clarity throughout much of the production, particularly in the central relationship between Constance and Will. Their connection developed with tenderness and honesty, giving the audience a relationship they could fully invest in. The wider ensemble also contributed enormously to the authenticity of the world being created onstage, with many characters feeling fully fleshed out and grounded within the village community. At times, some aspects of the physical storytelling around the set could perhaps have been defined with slightly more precision, particularly around the stream and bridge area, where distinctions between water and land occasionally became a little blurred. However, these moments were minor within an otherwise cohesive production and could easily be refined further in future performances.

One particularly interesting aspect of the direction was Constance’s journey from automaton to human. The initial physicality established her mechanical nature very effectively, immediately creating a sense of “otherness.” As the production progressed, there may have been room to allow that physical transformation to unfold even more gradually, heightening the emotional impact of her development. Nonetheless, the concept was clearly considered and remained engaging throughout. Accent work across the production leaned toward a broad Irish sound rather than a clearly defined regional dialect. While consistency varied slightly, the warmth and sincerity of the performances ensured the charm of the production remained fully intact.

Musically, the production was exceptionally strong. Niall Kelly’s musical direction was a major asset to the evening, with the orchestra delivering a lush and emotionally rich interpretation of the score. The flowing melodies were handled beautifully, while the more rhythmic sections maintained strong drive and energy throughout. Tempos were extremely well judged, supporting both the pacing of the storytelling and the emotional atmosphere of the piece. The positioning of the orchestra was also a particularly effective choice. Having the musicians facing stage right, with the standing Musical Director positioned to the side, ensured the audience maintained clear sightlines to the stage while still allowing excellent communication between cast and pit. It was an inventive staging solution that worked well within the venue. Vocally, the production was outstanding. The ensemble harmonies were rich, balanced, and beautifully blended, creating a glorious choral sound throughout the evening. The opening and closing numbers were especially moving, filled with emotional phrasing and excellent clarity of diction. Entrances and cut-offs remained consistently secure, demonstrating the strength of rehearsal preparation and musical discipline across the company.

Barbara Meany’s choreography worked extremely effectively within what was clearly a limited stage space. Rather than overcrowding the stage, the movement remained purposeful, character-driven, and visually engaging throughout. Changing formations were used cleverly to maintain visual interest, while the choreography itself complemented the intimate nature of the musical beautifully. “Raise A Glass” stood out in particular as a wonderfully energetic and entertaining number. The cast performed it with enthusiasm and confidence, creating a lovely sense of celebration and community. Throughout the production, the ensemble appeared comfortable and well-rehearsed in the movement, contributing significantly to the warmth and vitality of the show.

Saoirse Scully delivered a beautifully sincere and emotionally engaging performance as Constance. Vocally, she was strong, singing with maturity, sensitivity, and a lovely emotional nuance that suited the score. Her portrayal captured Constance’s innocence and fascination with the world beautifully. There was a wide-eyed curiosity to the performance that made the character immediately endearing. Her initial mechanical physicality was particularly effective and clearly established the character’s unique nature from the outset. As the production progressed, the transition toward more human movement perhaps developed a touch quicker than expected, though the emotional honesty of the performance ensured the audience remained fully invested throughout. Her scenes with Emmett Donlan’s Will were especially touching. The chemistry between the pair felt entirely natural and believable, and together they created the emotional heart of the production.

Emmett Donlan gave a wonderfully gentle and sincere performance as Will Riley. He brought an effortless warmth and authenticity to the role, creating a character that felt grounded, kind, and emotionally open. Vocally, he was superb, with a tenor voice that soared beautifully through the score while maintaining clarity, sincerity, and emotional connection. There was a lovely softness and vulnerability to his acting that suited the role perfectly. He appeared completely at ease onstage, allowing the audience to connect instantly with the character. His vocal blend with Saoirse Scully was particularly beautiful, and together they elevated many of the show’s key emotional moments.

James O’Donovan delivered a thoughtful and emotionally layered portrayal of Abraham Reed. He effectively conveyed the internal conflict of a man struggling with pride, fear, responsibility, and emotional attachment. At times the performance leaned more heavily toward frustration and anger, though there were also some lovely glimpses of vulnerability that added further depth to the character. Vocally, he performed strongly throughout the evening, with “You’re Still Here” proving particularly moving and emotionally sincere.

Sheena Fennessy brought tremendous humour and personality to the role of Ma Riley. Her portrayal captured the recognisable qualities of a classic Irish matriarch well, and her comic timing generated many genuine laughs throughout the evening. Her transitions between irritation, warmth, nosiness, and hospitality were handled naturally, particularly when realising there may be financial gain involved in the situation. Vocally, some of the higher material appeared slightly outside her most comfortable range, but this was more than compensated for through strong characterisation and expressive storytelling. Her emotional turn following her shooting of Will was especially well handled and brought an added layer of humanity to the character.

Nicole Butler and Cormac Maher were extremely charming as Amelia Kelly and Henry Glynn. Their chemistry felt natural and relaxed, and they brought humour and warmth to the wedding dress storyline without ever overplaying it. Vocally, both blended beautifully with one another and with the wider ensemble. Cian Corcoran brought a gentle warmth to Mayor Glynn and contributed nicely to the atmosphere of the village community. While there were moments where additional vocal confidence would further strengthen the performance, the sincerity and commitment of the portrayal remained evident throughout.

The group of seamstresses, Rhiannon – Eabha Morrissey, Moll – Rachel Browne, Cara – Aoibhe Condon, Jane – Nicole Kennedy, Mary – Siobhan Scanlon, and Lucille – Aine Purcell, worked wonderfully together as a unit. Their gossiping was particularly entertaining, filled with expressive reactions while remaining grounded within the world of the piece. Vocally, they blended extremely well and consistently enhanced the texture of the ensemble numbers. Featured ensemble members, Mab – Gillian Scully, Sam – Nathan Dalton, and Mr. Reed – George Barry, all contributed strongly, remaining focused and engaged throughout while integrating seamlessly into the wider company.

Indeed, the ensemble as a whole was one of the greatest strengths of the production. Their singing throughout the evening was stunning, producing rich harmonies and an exceptionally well blended sound. The opening and closing numbers were especially moving, creating powerful emotional moments through the strength of the ensemble vocals. Acting within the ensemble was equally strong. Every performer appeared fully invested in the storytelling, helping to create a believable and fully realised stage world. Background interactions remained engaged and authentic throughout, while the choreography was performed confidently and with ease.

Visually, the production was absolutely beautiful. The set design demonstrated enormous attention to detail and perfectly complemented the whimsical, fairytale atmosphere of the piece. The downstage houses that opened to reveal Abraham’s workshop and Ma Riley’s shop were particularly effective, while the hidden access doors built into the set, for the stage crew to rearrange the internal decor, reflected a very impressive level of technical thought and craftsmanship. The moving bridge also worked extremely well, enhancing both the storytelling and the physical environment of the show.

Jimmy Trehy’s stage management was excellent throughout. Scene changes were executed swiftly and smoothly, ensuring the production maintained momentum even during larger transitions.

Lighting and sound were both of an extremely high standard. The lighting design created several genuinely beautiful stage pictures, particularly during solo moments where mood and atmosphere were enhanced very effectively. The moon projected onto the back wall was a lovely touch, while the fairy lights woven across the stage through branches and rooftops created an utterly magical atmosphere for Will’s special place. Sound quality remained consistently polished throughout the evening. The balance between orchestra and vocals was excellent, particularly important in the intimate venue, and individual vocals were always clear and well supported.

Costumes, hair, and makeup all complemented the production beautifully. The costume palette worked wonderfully alongside the set design, while the styling remained thoughtful and appropriate to the world of the show. Hair and makeup were neat, effective, and suitably period appropriate without becoming distracting.

Front of house operations also contributed positively to the overall experience. The audience was welcomed warmly on arrival, and the organisation throughout the venue helped create a lovely atmosphere of anticipation before the performance even began. There was a clear sense of pride within the society that extended beyond the stage and into the overall audience experience.

Overall, St. Mary’s Choral Society delivered a heartfelt, visually stunning, and musically accomplished production of The Clockmaker’s Daughter. The warmth and sincerity at the centre of the performance ensured the audience remained emotionally invested throughout, while the strength of the ensemble, the beauty of the score, and the detailed visual presentation combined to create a truly memorable evening of theatre. The company should be extremely proud of what they achieved with this production.