‘It was absolutely amazing it was the opportunity of a lifetime’
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A LUCAN schoolgirl gave a heartfelt rendition of Take That’s ‘Rule the World’ on The Late Late Toy Show last week – and sang with Gary Barlow and other Irish children from all over the globe.
Eva Norton, 11, has been attending stage school since she was four and has always had a passion for singing and dancing.
Eva speaking to Ryan Turbridy on The Late Late Show
A pupil of Scoil Áine Naofa in Esker, Eva and her mother sent in an audition tape to The Late Late Toy Show earlier this year where she performed ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, and after wowing judges with a second audition she beat off stiff competition to be selected to perform on this year’s show.
When Eva sang ‘Rule the World’, a collection of Irish children and children of Irish descent from around the globe, including places such as New York, South Korea, Adelaide, and Dubai, joined in the singing via video, while Take That frontman Gary Barlow also made a guest appearance by videolink.
Eva’s mother, Frances Norton, told The Echo: “Eva’s always wanted to be on The Late Late Toy Show – she’s been singing since she was three-years-old.
“We were absolutely over the moon when we found out that she had been selected, we were screaming the house down!”
Eva, who attends the Lisa Price Singing and Music School in Lucan and TheatreworX Stage School in Leixlip, and her mother were told about Gary Barlow’s appearance several weeks before the show – but were sworn to secrecy by the show’s producers.
Eva on stage with Gary Barlow in the background and other children from around the world
The performance went off without a hitch, as Frances proudly watched her daughter from backstage.
“It was absolutely amazing, it was the opportunity of a lifetime,” she said.
“Eva was on a high [after the performance], even with just the experience of being in RTÉ and backstage, and being on the toy show set.”
While Eva is no stranger to the stage, as she has performed in the Helix Christmas panto with TheatreworX last year, there were still some pre-show jitters.
“She was nervous, but she was excited,” admitted Frances. “Once she’s singing, she’s happy.”
As for what Eva wants to be when she grows up, Frances said her daughter hasn’t quite decided yet – but would like to be a singer in the West End, a mammy and a teacher.
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