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Irish dancing coming to Akron for the holidays
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 24, 2017
In the classic holiday story “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner and three other ghosts who attempt to show him the error of his ways and transform him into a kind and caring person.
Since it was first published in 1843, there have been many different productions of the tale, but none quite like “Carol of the King, The Irish Dance Christmas Spectacular,” which is making its way to an Akron theater in December.
Created by Irish step dancer Justin Boros, a native of Canal Fulton and business partners Cleveland native Gregg Senko and Michael Iovine Jr., who grew up in Grand River, Ohio, the show features original compositions and Irish step dancing set in a holiday-themed medieval-style backdrop.
“There are Christmas shows that have Celtic music and traditional dancing,” said Boros. “But our show breaks out of this mold, with elements such as an original orchestral soundtrack, snow machines and medieval thrones to tie in the storyline.”
“This is a one-of-a-kind production,” said Iovine. “There is nothing like it on stage now and there never has been anything quite like it.”
“Carol of the King” features four main characters, including the 6-foot-4 Boros who plays King Solomon. The king is under the spell of an evil sorceress Circe and can only be saved by his love interest, Brighid, and his younger brother Aidan.
“There is a full good versus evil storyline, complete with a theme of redemption, with some elements that are similar to the Charles Dickens classic,” said Boros. “While the audience will get to hear many of their holiday favorites, the music has more of an Irish dance spectacular feel that will really ignite the Christmas spirit.”
Boros, Senko and Iovine have been working on their creation for the past two years.
It’s not the first time they’ve been involved in an Irish step dancing production.
Boros and Senko created “Rhythm in the Night, The Irish Dance Spectacular,” which made its debut in 2014 and will begin its 5th anniversary tour in February.
Since 2015 Iovine has been managing and handling other duties for “Rhythm in the Night,” which includes 19 original tracks created by twin composers Andrew and Jared DePolo of DePolo Music.
The northeast Ohio natives also crafted the original compositions that audiences will hear in “Carol of the King.”
One Management NYC and MPI Talent Agency in Los Angeles represent both productions.
Last March the Akron Civic Theatre featured “Rhythm in the Night, The Irish Dance Spectacular.”
“Carol of the King” will be performed at E.J. Thomas Hall on Dec. 17.
Val Renner, associate director of programming at the Akron Civic Theatre, said “Rhythm in the Night” was very successful.
“We facilitate the national programming for E.J. Thomas Hall and we thought that ‘Carol of the King’ would attract a good audience since it is also an Irish dance spectacular,” said Renner.
“We have a very supportive Irish community in Akron and given that the show ties in nicely with the Christmas season, we expect to have a good turnout.”
Boros, who has been dancing since he was a teenager at Northwest High School, said he’s very excited to bring his latest production to the place he calls home.
“E.J. Thomas Hall is one of the first venues where I saw ‘Lord of the Dance’ performed, which inspired me to pursue Irish step dancing,” said Boros. “I grew up in nearby Canal Fulton and my family still lives in the area so being able to showcase my work here means a great deal to me.”
Boros’ career took off after he successfully auditioned for Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” at Epcot Center in Disney World in 2000.
While touring with “Lord of the Dance,” Boros came up with the idea for his own Irish step dancing production.
In 2007, Boros and Senko started Two Step Productions, working together to create “Rhythm in the Night, The Irish Dance Spectacular.”
The Two Step Productions office is located in Sarasota, Florida and Boros lives in the city part of the time. About five years ago, he met Iovine there.
“Justin was my neighbor,” said Iovine. “It turned out we were from the same area. I do not dance but I do a lot of the managing, routing and sound work for both shows.”
Boros, Senko and Iovine are hoping that “Carol of the King” is as successful as “Rhythm in the Night.”
“No matter how big our productions become, we will always want to see them showcased in Ohio,” said Iovine. “This is our home and it has a big place in our hearts.”
“Carol of the King” kicks off on Nov. 30 at the Apollo Civic Theatre in Martinsburg, West Virginia and concludes on Dec. 23 in Toms River, New Jersey at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts.
The Dec.17 production at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron gets underway at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $25 and $35 apiece and they are on sale now. To purchase tickets call the box office at 330-972-7570 or go to (http://www.uakron.edu/ej/events/#!view/event/date/20171217/event_id/6657). Tickets can also be purchased via Ticketmaster.