‘An Irish Christmas’

Santa Barbarans have the chance to experience an amalgamation of Irish storytelling on December 8, when Kerry Irish Productions presents An Irish Christmas at the Lobero. The show comprises vignettes that pay homage to the yuletide holiday through spoken word, song, and dance. The dance portion of the show is led by accomplished Irish step-dancers Caterina Coyne (Riverdance), Tyler Schwartz (Celtic Fyre, Celtic Wings), and Connor Reider (The Chieftains, Celtic Wings).

Reider, who has been with the troupe for five years, has been dancing since he was a tot, he recently told me over the phone. By the time he was born, Riverdance had become an international phenomenon. “[My grandmother] got a bootleg copy of Riverdance when I was 2 years old,” Reider recalled. “I couldn’t stop watching it. … I wore that thing out.” Reider took to it so well that he competed until he was a senior in high school, turning pro after college graduation. In the summer of 2015, he joined Busch Gardens’ Celtic Fyre, and by Christmas, he had signed on with Kerry Irish Productions. “It’s just crazy to think I’m going back for my fifth time,” he said of this year’s tour. 

Be sure to see Reider and his compatriots when An Irish Christmas comes to town Sunday, December 8, 2:30 p.m., at the Lobero Theatre. See lobero.org.