NI schoolgirl to take the lead in Toy Show: The Musical

For many kids in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the night of the The Late Late Toy Show is their highlight of the year.

But for one Co Down girl, it's led to an even bigger dream, as she helms the first ever Toy Show: The Musical next month.

Clare Keeley, 12, from Gilford is one of three young girls sharing the role of Nell Mooney, whom the show is built around.

The show opens at the Convention Centre in Dublin on December 10 and runs to the end of the month.

Clare said her mum Denise saw the casting call for the show and they decided to take a punt and follow it up.

"I am a big, big fan of the Toy Show, so when I saw this, me and my mum thought it's the Toy Show and it's a musical so why not give it a go," Clare told Belfast Live.

"I might not get any further, but there's no harm in trying is the way I looked at it."

The show is built around the Mooney family and is sure to pack an emotional punch.

"The show is all about 12-year-old Nell Mooney and her family, her brother Luan and her dad and Nana.

"Their mam has passed away and it's all about the journey to make the show as magical as it was last year when ma was still with them.

"Nell is trying to pull her dad back into the show again and make him feel the magic of Christmas again, even if Mam has passed, the night can still be super-magical.

"It's lovely because it's the night when kids take over obviously and this is the kids taking over!."

Clare has previously reached the semi-finals of the Junior Eurovision contest, but has been putting in the hard work to try and star in the types of shows she loves.

"I remember when I was 7 or 8, mum took me to see Wicked in Bord Gais, and I thought I would hate it and it would be rubbish.

"But I came out of it and just thought this is what I want to do when I grow up.

"I have been training in Stagebox for singing, acting and dancing training and I go to other places too for singing and dancing training.

"All of this is to help me pursue my dream of musical theatre so when I heard I got this role, I couldn't believe it.

"It was like all my Christmases came at once!."

For mum Denise, it's a moment of real pride as she sees Clare's years of hard work pay off with a fantastic role.

"Clare works very hard at everything she does," Denise said.

"She does singing and dancing around different festivals and the likes of the Feis around Newry, Banbridge, Belfast and Portadown.

"I don't think we ever thought she was going to get this at such a young age, but sure you have to take these opportunities once they come along.

"Thank goodness, she was so lucky to get the call back and it'll be amazing, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"The show is on the scale of a West End show and the people putting it together are world-class in their field."

Clare and Denise found out she had got the role back in July but were unable to say until it was announced on The Late Late Show a few weeks back.

For those at the Toy Show on Friday night, there were family tickets for everyone in the audience to the show.

"It was like all my Christmases came at once!," said Clare.

"They announced that I would be playing the lead role a few weeks ago on the Late Late Show and my friends were sending me messages the whole night.

"My phone was absolutely hopping and my friends are so happy for me and so supportive, I could not be more lucky to have such good friends.

"It really did start to feel real when we saw they were saying there were tickets for everyone in the audience, and I started thinking 'I'm in that!', so it's getting very real now."

The show opens on December 10 and runs until December 31 at The Convention Centre, Dublin.

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