The World Premiere of the New Musical
on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage
A New Musical by Asher Muldoon
Based on the novel by Patrick McCabe
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
Music Direction by David Hancock Turner
Choreographed by Barry McNabb
July 21 – September 11, 2022
“When I was a young lad twenty or thirty or forty years ago, I lived in a small town where they were all after me on account of what I done on Mrs. Nugent.” — Patrick McCabe, The Butcher Boy
Life is hard for the youthful Francie Brady, who struggles to navigate the narrow streets and narrow minds of an Irish village in the 1960’s. But his eternal optimism and carefree spirit carry him above the dysfunctional family and gossipy town, where he lives in a comic book dreamland with his best friend Joe. When he taunts newcomer Philip Nugent, his uptight mother Mrs. Nugent calls Francie’s family a bunch of pigs. This triggers a violent pig obsession, which grows as Francie’s life falls apart around him.
This surrealist coming-of-age tale is tangled in a hypnotic score, smart lyrics, and a funny and moving book, which all serve to cloak Francie’s pain until he cannot fight the dark forces any longer, and the story spins to a catastrophic conclusion.
The Butcher Boy is Patrick McCabe’s shattering masterpiece novel. Published in 1992, the novel was hailed as a modern classic and has remained in the Irish consciousness for decades. A 1997 film adaptation was directed by Neil Jordan and starred Eamonn Owens, Fiona Shaw, Stephen Rea, and Sinéad O’Connor.
This first musical adaptation of The Butcher Boy is the first original musical in eight years to be developed by Irish Repertory Theatre. In 2017, high school senior Asher Muldoon (Dear Evan Hansen National Tour) approached Irish Rep with this adaptation, for which he had written book, music, and lyrics. In 2018, Irish Rep mounted a workshop and an enthusiastically-received concert performance. We are thrilled to present the world premiere in 2022.
Tickets will be available at a later date.
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