Angela’s Ashes The Musical

September 9th to 14th. Bord Gais Theatre/ €21+
In a major musical adaptation, Frank McCourt’s memoir ANGELA’S ASHES returns to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre 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.
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.
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.