The critically acclaimed Irish production of Angela’s Ashes – The Musical will make its UK premiere this autumn, playing the Ashcroft Theatre at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls from Tuesday 24 September – Saturday 5 October, with a press night on Wednesday 25 September.
With music and lyrics by Adam Howell and book by Paul Hurt, this major musical adaptation of Frank McCourt’s best-selling memoir is directed by Thom Southerland and tells the remarkable story of the author’s childhood in Limerick and of the McCourt family’s inspirational rise from adversity to triumph.
As his parents struggle to provide for him and his brothers in 1940s Ireland, we follow young Frank’s escapades and experiences in a Dickensian landscape peopled by a drunken father, a helpless mother, pompous priests, bullying schoolmasters and money-lenders culminating in his defiant escape to a new life in America.
Irish musical theatre legend Jacinta Whyte returns to the production to star as ‘Angela’, alongside Eoin Cannon as Frank and Marty Maguire as ‘Malachy’.
The full cast includes Norma Sheahan as ‘Mrs Finucane’, Amanda Minihan as ‘Grandma’, Bryan Burroughs as ‘Quasimodo’, Connor Gormley as ‘Malachy Jnr’, Fiona Browne as ‘Nora’, Michael Joseph as ‘Billy Heffernan’, David O’Meara as ‘Uncle Pat’, Mark O’Regan as ‘Mr Griffin’, Brigid Shine as ‘Theresa Carmody’ and Cáit Moloney as ensemble.
Thom Southerland said, “I'm delighted that Angela's Ashes is coming to the Fairfield Halls - my local theatre. We worked on the show two years ago in Ireland and did a small tour, but we've always had hopes and aspirations that it would come to the UK and I couldn't be more pleased that it’s making its UK premiere in Croydon!”
Described by The New York Times as a “stunning memoir” back in 1996, the publication of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes caused a literary sensation. The book climbed quickly to the top of that newspaper’s Bestseller lists and remained there for nearly three years, selling 4 million copies in hardback alone. Since then, sales of over 10 million copies worldwide have become a phenomenon continuing to attract a global readership.
As well as a fixture on the bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, the book won multiple accolades including the Pulitzer Prize and the US National Critics Circle Book Award in 1997, has been listed in The Guardian as one of the top 50 best-selling books of all time and has been translated into 126 languages.
McCourt’s memoir of growing up in the ‘Lanes of Limerick’ was followed by a 1999 Alan Parker film.
Angela’s Ashes – The Musical is directed by Thom Southerland, with set and costume design by Francis O’Connor, lighting design by Sinead McKenna, movement direction by Ste Clough, and sound design by Jason Fallon. David Hayes is Musical Director and Mike Dixon is Musical Supervisor, with Original Arrangements & Orchestrations by Colm Ó Foghlú and Arrangements & Orchestrations by Joe Csibi. Angela’s Ashes – The Musical is produced by Pat Moylan.
ANGELA’S ASHES THE MUSICAL 2019 UK TOUR
Lime Tree Theatre – Limerick
18 – 27 July
Grand Opera House - Belfast
3 – 7 September
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre - Dublin
9 – 14 September
Cork Opera House - Cork
16 – 21 September
Fairfields Hall - Croydon
24 September – 5 October
