🇮🇪 TES Reviews : Soul-searching for Lesley Roy

The sixth participant to rehearse today is Ireland who is represented by Lesley Roy, who will be competing in this year’s competition with their entry ‘Maps’.

What did we think of the rehearsal?

The song opens with a camera surrounded in paper, with Lesley – dressed in a green one-piece looking directly into the camera. As the song progresses, she starts walking on a treadmill as the camera opens up to reveal more paper-made natural features like trees and grass.

Lesley then walks in between to reams of paper with drawings of cliffs to give the illusion of the movement. This paper motif continues until the bridge, when the stage goes dark – with a small light on Lesley as she sings. In the final chorus, the stage explodes from blue to orange as Lesley walks along the catwalk to the small stage to deliver the final lines.

Now, what did the team think of Ireland’s rehearsal?

Rory: I like the idea of the paper that we were presented with – of course, Maps are traditionally made on paper. However, I’m a little unsure of the overall story that Ireland were trying to go with. It seemed as if there were some technical faults that might need fixing for the second rehearsal, but I’m cautiously optimistic for Lesley. The song is high and uptempo and we need some more energy and I’m hoping that the next rehearsal will give us the sleeker version of what we had today.

Jazzi: I love the staging it is very different to anything we have seen so far, there is a lot going on on stage with her going through the trees and then augmented reality of pages turning on a book it documented Lesley’s journey almost, Lesley looked like she’s was loving every minute on the stage and really believed in the song. There is a lot going on but it all makes sense with the song I hope this can make it through to the final and I have hopes for it because it stands out among the staging today.

Rosie: They promised something we’d never seen before, and I think they delivered on that promise! It’s a fascinating staging, like a modern, digital fairytale. There was a lot going on, but it all felt cohesive, like a journey. Lesley’s vocals weren’t 100% there today, but again, she could easily be preserving her voice here. The song has a magical quality to me, and the staging translates that beautifully.

What do you think of Lesley’s first rehearsal? Let us know in the comments below or at social media. Don’t forget to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

News Source: That Eurovision Site / EBU

Photo Source: Ruth Medjber