The Lime Tree Theatre is delighted to announce that it will play host to the world premiere production of Angela’s Ashes - the musical based on the multi-million-selling novel by Frank McCourt.
The show will premiere at the Lime Tree Theatre in the first two weeks of July, prior to a two week run at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin and before it embarks on a long journey that will hopefully see it on the West End or Broadway.
This is a hugely significant event for the theatre and is by far the largest show IT will host since its opening in October 2012. Pat Moylan, one of Ireland’s most successful theatre producers (whose hits include Stones in his Pockets, I, Keano, The Shawshank Redemption and The Field (featuring Brian Dennehy) and who has brought many shows from Ireland to London’s West End and Broadway), has secured the professional rights. She spent the past three years developing the show with the writers Adam Howell and Paul Hurt and other musical and theatre practitioners in the UK in order to produce a show of the highest international standard.
In February 2016, the Lime Tree Director, Louise Donlon, attended a showcase of the musical in London. It was assumed that, because of the sheer scale of the production that a visit to the 510 seat Lime Tree Theatre would not be possible either financially or technically. However, the importance and significance of presenting the world premiere in Frank’s home city of Limerick was emphasised time and time again by Louise and eventually the Lime Tree agreed to pull out all the stops in order to make this happen. Pat and her partners in this major venture were so overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown by the Limerick venue that the decision was made to come to Limerick with the show.
The company will come to the Lime Tree for three weeks – week one will see them undertake the technical fit-up. The first half of the second week will see technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals, with the first performance scheduled for Thursday, 6th July. It will then run for a total of 11 performances, including two matinees. The show will then transfer to Dublin’s Bord Gais Energy Theatre for a two week run.
This is the largest scale show to be hosted by the Lime Tree Theatre since it opened and is further proof that the venue is now regarded as one of the most important in the country. It is a vote of confidence in audiences based in Limerick and the west that they will come out in large numbers to see it. There is the added advantage that fans of professional musical theatre will not have to travel see a world premiere of this calibre.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, 25th November at 12 midday at the Lime Tree Box Office on +353 61 953400 and online at www.limetreetheatre.ie
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt was published in 1996 and has gone on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it spent 117 weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
