Sharon brings her new show ‘Jukebox Donkey’ to the Civic

SOMETIMES life feels like you’re nothing more than a “jukebox donkey”, constantly playing someone else’s tune.

Sharon Mannion has been bursting to talk about her experience on Britain’s Got Talent, and now that she finally can, she is ready to tell all.

In arguably the “lowest point in Anglo-Irish relations since the famine”, Sharon Mannion was invited onto Britain’s Got Talent only to find her “4 Yesses – Simon Cowell loving” performance on the cutting room floor.

She also found herself on a Ryanair flight home, “tail between her legs to the family she had envisaged being raised by nannies in a separate compartment of her private plane.”

Following the runaway success of ‘Sharondipity’, Sharon is back with a brand new show.

In it, she will be spilling the “hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking beans on showbiz letdowns, the disappointment of meeting your heroes, parenting chaos and the absurd balancing act of chasing success only to find yourself serving tiny divas at home.”

This week, The Echo sat down with Sharon to discuss ‘Jukebox Donkey’, which performs in the Civic Theatre on February 27 at 8pm.

Tickets are on sale now.

What can you tell us about ‘Jukebox Donkey’ without giving too much away?

There’s lots in there, really. The germ of the idea was about my experience of being on Britain’s Got Talent last year (and ending up on the cutting room floor!!), but that led on to other ideas about celebrity and failure and what it all means.

It’s basically the ramblings of a madwoman, with songs!!

As well as talking about where I’m generally at in life, like everyone else, I’m just trying to keep things ticking over, get enough sleep, maintain a social life and raise a couple of kids in my spare time.

What has been your favourite part of working on this show, and why?

I had a lot of fun writing the songs. We got a piano (for free, off Twitter!) a couple of years ago, so I love to sit at it and pretend I’m Elton John.

Somewhere in my future I’d like to make an album with a shit-hot producer. (I could totes be the next Taylor Swift if I put my mind to it, no bother….)

I think I probably like writing songs because it just involves wandering around the house with a guitar and singing little ideas out loud with nobody in particular paying attention.

It’s quite freeing, even if it does drive my family mad.

What have been some of the biggest challenges involved with preparing for this show, and how have you navigated them?

There was a point in the summer where I had a three-month-long panic attack that I wouldn’t have the show ready in time!!

It’s such a stressful experience to see tickets being sold for a show you haven’t even written yet!

By the time I debuted it at Galway Comedy Festival late last year, I was in a heap!

Thankfully, it went great, and even though the show itself went by in a bit of a blur, I definitely remember enjoying myself and having the craic.

The feedback has been lovely too; the kind of audience who come to my shows are a bunch of sounders.

You had a very successful and eventful couple of years with the Dublin Story Slam, ‘Bad Sisters’, ‘Small Town Big Story’, ‘Sharondipity’, Glastonbury, your debut short film ‘Grand’ and now ‘Jukebox Donkey’; how do you feel looking back on everything you have been involved in in just over a year?

It’s nice to be reminded of it, as this business can be all about moving on to the next thing; it can be really difficult to pause and take stock.

I really enjoy all aspects of my work. Some days sitting in my PJs and writing all day is the BEST THING EVER, and some days, that very same thing makes me want to punch myself in the face.

Ultimately, nothing beats the live shows.

They’re really where you get to let loose, and I really enjoy feeding off the energy in the room and having the craic with whoever has come to see me.

I host a lot of gigs, and I genuinely love getting to know people in the room; I’ve tried to incorporate elements of that into this show.

No one ever thinks they’re interesting, but humans are endlessly fascinating to me.

What is next for you after this? Do you have any more gigs or shows in the pipeline this year, or will you be taking a well-deserved rest first?

I’d love to say I’ll take a rest, but the reality is that I’m already thinking about writing my next show, so it never ends, really!!

I’m starting a new podcast called Middle Rage with Jennifer Zamparelli and Norma Sheahan, so I’ll be busy promoting that.

Then there’ll be the usual festivals in the summer, the kids go back to school in September, and sure, it’s a hop, skip and a jump from there to Christmas, and we do it all again!

What are your hopes for this show, or just 2026 in general?

The hard part of putting a show together is writing it all on your lonesome and trying to decide if what you’re doing is funny or if you’re having a nervous breakdown of some kind.

Now that it’s up on its feet, it’s a joy, so the hope and goal for this show is that I remember to enjoy it.

I always do, though, to be honest. You can be running around like a blue-arsed fly beforehand, but once I walk out onto the stage, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Who would you like to thank for helping you put ‘Jukebox Donkey’ together?

MYSELF! (and my husband Danny for talking me down from the ledge on more than one occasion) I should also thank my kids in case they read this someday, even though they were more of a distraction than anything else.

A cute one, though. Most of the time ….