THE SOCIAL NETWORK:There were quite a few mammies at the opening of Snow White and the Adventures of Sammy Sausages on Tuesday at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin, but it was the "daddies" who were the centre of attention for the panto dame, Buffy. Glenda Gilson's boyfriend, Rob MacNaughton, chef Andrew Rudd and Rory Cowan from Mrs Brown's Boys were among the men Buffy chose to dance onstage.
The hotelier Paul Fitzpatrick was accompanied by his wife, the stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick, and children Dalton and Sophie. Louise Loughman-Byrne brought along her children, Sophie and Chloe Byrne.
The broadcaster Claire Byrne was accompanied by her partner, Gerry Scollan. Michele McGrath, who played the lead in Sleeping Beauty last year, enjoyed the performance.
Ben Frow, the former director of programming for TV3, sat beside the singer Brian Kennedy. Joe Duffy has brought his family to the panto for the past 15 years. The model Sarah Morrissey chatted to Sarah McGovern and her son Jude Vaughan.
Meanwhile, at the Olympia on Wednesday night, Jedmania was rife on Dame Street for the first night of Jedward and the Magic Lamp, with fans going to great lengths and distances to meet the twins. Sophie Sasimowicz and Holly Rutherford had come from Manchester for the performance. Abbey Barton from Newry was there with her mum, Gill, and was dressed in a flashing Santa’s-helper costume to try to get the boys’ attention. Both had travelled this year to Azerbaijan to support Jedward in the Eurovision Song Contest. Anna Kilcoyne and Emma Byrne, both 15, said it was “like, oh my God” when they met Jedward in Florida.
Irish dancer Damien Doherty, former understudy for Michael Flatley, attended with his wife, Ann Marie Hickey, and five-year-old son, Sean Hickey. Damien and Sean wore matching gravity-defying wigs à la Jedward. Michelle Holden, wife of Darren Holden from Irish ballad group The High Kings, brought along their three children, Ava, Sophie and Josh.
Louis Walsh sneaked in through the stage door half an hour into the performance after a spot of shopping, and said he was home in Dublin and taking a break for Christmas after finishing The X Factor in the UK.
