Alex Hughes, who delighted the entire country playing the Star Wars theme on bagpipes on the Toy Show in 2017, has also been added to the impressive cast.

Whereas adults just want to be at peace with these childhood sensibilities, about being good, being truthful, being a bit bold, having fun, being naughty.The musical is understood to have cost RTÉ about €2 million last year, although the broadcaster has not disclosed a figure, saying the show was a commercial venture. The run at the 2,000-seat convention centre venue between December 10th and December 31st did not sell out, while several shows were cancelled due to illness within the cast and crew. Director Séimí Campbell, whose recent work includes Gary Barlow's "A Different Stage" and Jason Robert Brown’s "Songs For A New World" at The London Palladium is Associate Director to Rufus Norris on "Hex", at the National Theatre in London. It takes a lot of guts to stand up and perform on your own, and we could all learn a lot from Sophia. She should be so proud of herself. We’ll all be buying your first single when it inevitably comes out. A very special version of her lead song from Toy Show The Musical, entitled “All The Same” was debuted on last night’s Late Late Show in a for-one-night-only performance which featured guest appearances from Toy Show’s Saoirse Ruane alongside a host of other Toy Show stars.

We were from a small village and this is before there was any internet shopping or big toy store, so a lot of the time the stuff didn’t turn up. And the stuff that did turn up was amazing, just a bit different from what Gay was showing. Grammy nominated composer and performer RuthAnne Cunningham is the multi-talented songwriter for the show. It is an obsession - I don’t mind admitting that now. It’s all-consuming. It has to be! It’s bigger than myself and Katherine, it’s this fantastic creative team. Dillon, Fiona (15 October 2022). "Meet the stars of Toy Show the Musical: 'I was jumping up and down in excitement' ". Irish Independent . Retrieved 6 November 2022.

'PUBLIC MONEY AT STAKE'

Katherine joined RTÉ in 2010 as a producer on The Late Late Toy Show, a role she held for over ten years. During that time she also became an executive producer on The Late Late Show. Clarke, Vivienne (20 December 2022). "Toy Show musical risk was 'too high' in saturated Christmas market - PAC chairman". The Irish Times . Retrieved 7 July 2023. It’s the tradition of Toy Show that the show’s about. We can never give them Toy Show. They’re not coming to see Toy Show live. We’re doing a musical about celebrating the tradition, and the tradition that we all own. And we are all a part of it. In May 2022, RTÉ announced its intention to stage its first musical based on The Late Late Toy Show, [12] engaging Lisa Tierney-Keogh as playwright, Séimí Campbell as director, RuthAnne Cunningham and Harry Blake as the composer, Sarah Travis as musical supervisor and orchestrator, James Cousins as choreographer, Colin Richmond as set and costume designer and Paul Keogan as lighting designer. [13] [14] After a decade in radio, she moved into television, first as a producer with Claire Byrne Live and then The Late Late Show, becoming the Series Producer of the show in 2019.