Jacinta Whyte confirmed to play Angela in Angela’s Ashes Musical

Pictured: Jacinta Whyte who will now play the role of Angela in Angela’s Ashes.

In a major musical adaptation, for the very first time, Frank McCourt’s memoir Angelas’s Ashes will, this summer, be brought to the stage in an emotional telling of a childhood in Limerick and beyond, featuring unforgettable songs and melodies, told with a rare lyricism and a warm inimitable sense of humour. The production will play Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick from 6 -15 July, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin from 18 – 30 July and Grand Opera House, Belfast from 1 – 5 August.

Pictured above is Louise Donlon, Manager of the Lime Tree Theatre.

Today, the first casting announcement has been made. West End star Jacinta Whyte will return home to take on the role of Angela. Dublin-born Jacinta Whyte has made her mark on the international stage performing in some of the biggest musicals of all time including, Les Miserables, Blood Brothers and Miss Saigon. From the moment Jacinta walked onto the stage as a child in the title role of Annie in the original production in London’s West End, it was clear that a musical star had been born.

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Speaking of the announcement today Jacinta Whyte said “I’m utterly delighted, so proud and feel very honoured to have been approached by Pat Moylan to play the dream role of Angela in what I know will be the most fantastic, original new musical in many a year. The script made me both laugh and cry. The music sent shivers up my spine. To get to work with director Thom Southerland will be amazing and to perform at home in Ireland is always so very special.”

Pat Moylan Productions presents the world premiere of Angela’s Ashes The Musical, an uplifting story of hope, fortitude and family. Directed by Thom Sutherland, with music and lyrics by Adam Howell and book by Paul Hurt, the production is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning book by Frank McCourt.

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, money-lenders and dancing teachers, culminating in his defiant escape to a new life in America.

A haunting score adds to the emotional impact and the humour of the story.  Angela’s Ashes – The Musical has that rare gift of bringing an audience to tears one minute, laughing out loud the next – by turns, deeply moving and riotously funny, this new musical promises to be one of the major theatrical events in Ireland in 2017.

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, the book has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and become a phenomenon continuing to attract a global readership. Angela’s Ashes won multiple accolades including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, was listed in The Guardian as one of the top 50 best-selling books of all time and has been translated into 126 languages. 

Tickets for Angelas’s Ashes – The Musical are on sale now.

To book tickets for Angela’s Ashes click here

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