Celtic Thunder Steps Into Yesteryear With the "Musical" Storm

This fall, I learned that Phil Coulter, the songwriter behind so many terrific Celtic Thunder songs, has ceased his association with the group. I was sad to hear that but happy to get one last big dose of their collaboration with Storm, a long-awaited special featuring only music that Coulter composed.

Storm was filmed two years ago in Toronto. Interestingly, three specials – one filmed at the same time but two filmed a year later – came out before it did. I remember reading about the filming back when it happened and have been looking forward to it ever since, but I was frankly starting to wonder a little if it was ever going to be released. Hence, it was a very welcome sight.

Storm is unique among Celtic Thunder projects because it is a musical. I’m not sure I would call it a fully-formed musical; it’s really more a series of archetypes interacting with each other, and there’s no dialogue or narration to connect the songs. Still, there’s enough plot there to make the “musical” designation reasonable and to make watching the DVD particularly fun.

I love the set and costumes, which take us back to an earlier Irish era. My favorite set piece is a sprawling tree in which a couple of the characters perch as they oversee the surrounding land. The basic storyline involves two groups of people in conflict with each other. We have the “civilized” folks who have put down roots in the area and the gypsies who claim this part of the country for their own. As is typical for Celtic Thunder, some choreography is involved, but most of the dancing this time is done by the band of gypsies. Though my mom was greatly annoyed when I referred to their distinct, stylized motions as the “Gypsy Macarena,” I have to admit that it made me a little giggly. It also made me want to study the moves so I can (at least threaten to) show them off at the next wedding reception I attend.

Naturally, the dark, dashing Ryan Kelly is king of the gypsies, and black-haired beauty Caroline Torti plays his sister (though Charley Bird provides the vocals). Paul Byrom is a moony young gentleman seeking true love, and Keith Harkin lies between the two extremes as a highwayman who looks like an elegant man about town but can be just as dangerous as Ryan’s character. George Donaldson plays the chief of the settlement, while Damian McGinty is the “young buck.” Also singled out is Deirdre Shannon as the chief’s daughter. Other musicians, including musical director David Cooke, piper Brendan Monaghan and the multi-talented Neil Byrne, who had not yet begun to be highlighted as a full member of the group, help provide a fuller look and sound.

Because this is a different type of special, we are more immersed in the action on stage than usual. Most Celtic Thunder DVDs include frequent cuts to the audience for reactions, but there are so few of them here that I almost forgot this was filmed in front of a live audience, especially since they are generally so quiet. I’m guessing they were instructed to be so; while all but one of these were new songs, which may have cut down on the participatory aspect of it, I was surprised not to hear more clapping and cheering. The only song to get much of an audible response was Look at Me, the duet between over-confident Damian and Keith, who is trying to offer some romantic advice, which sent many audience members into gales of laughter.

I think it might be a little more accurate to say that Storm is a concept show rather than a musical. These are character-driven songs, but there isn’t a lot of plot to tie it all together. That said, each of the characters undergoes some type of change, and the broader idea is that these disparate groups are going to live among and respect each other rather than being antagonists. Group numbers New Day Dawning and Hail the Hero bookend the show with a sense of satisfaction, but the latter song shows a more nuanced perspective as well as incorporating a very entertaining dance-off.

Ryan and Caroline/Charley team up for Outside Looking In, a dangerous-sounding song about the benefits and drawbacks to living the vagabond life, and Ryan returns for the Midnight Well, which was included on Take Me Home and so feels strangely familiar in the midst of all this new material. This tango-flavored song about a gypsy charming a young maiden away from her village is immediately followed by Caroline/Charley’s seductive Shadows Dancing.

Keith, too, comes across as an outsider in Stand and Deliver, in which he justifies his lifestyle by describing himself in Robin Hood-esque terms. Damian’s When You Are 18 conveys a sense of eager yearning resolve somewhat by the end, when he has decided to actively embrace the opportunities of adulthood. Bringing the two of them together for Look at Me allows Keith’s character to come across as more of a good guy by attempting to mentor Damian’s – though we’re already inclined to be sympathetic because of Deirdre’s The Highwayman, in which she pines for the mysterious fellow who held up her carriage.

Paul is a melancholy dreamer desperately seeking true love in Not the One, and he finds it in Tender Is the Night, a duet with Deirdre, who precedes it with the haunting Harry’s Game. Robustly gruff George sings the zesty Life in the Old Dog Yet toward the beginning and This Was My Life, a mellow reflection of tender gratitude, toward the end. Lagan Love, about dead center in the set, brings the lads together for a moment of thematic unity and gorgeous harmony.

While I like when Celtic Thunder takes on pop standards, I generally prefer songs that feel more connected to traditional roots. This makes a fine companion to Heritage and should certainly satisfy fans concerned that It’s Entertainment and A Celtic Thunder Christmas marked too much of a departure from folk sounds. I wish that Coulter wasn’t cutting ties with Celtic Thunder, but with Storm, we’re treated to the heftiest helping yet of his genius.