“You might be school kids and livin’ in dead-end Dublin – but you’re doin’ it! You’re making
music!”
It’s Dublin, 1982, and sixteen year old Conor can’t catch a break. His parents are fighting, hisbrother won’t leave the house and he’s not fitting in at his new Catholic school.
Enter Raphina, a mysterious girl who’s too cool for school and on the lookout for a modelling
job. In an effort to impress, Conor hires her to star in a music video for his band. Only
problem is he doesn’t have a band. Yet.
With a score that embraces the new wave sounds of the 80s, Sing Street is an ode to the
thrill of young love and a celebration of the power of music to lift us up.
Tony Award winners Enda Walsh (Once) and Rebecca Taichman (Indecent), with music
from Gary Clark (Danny Wilson), bring John Carney’s beloved coming-of-age film to the UK
stage for the first time in this brand new production, following sell-out runs in Boston and
New York.
Conor says he wants to make music that’s “happy-sad” – the creative team took that line and made it their own mission statement. It’s a bittersweet love letter to 80s Ireland and a tonic for a broken world. The score is infectious, the company is astonishing, the writing is flawless, the production is clever. It’s about family, friendship, angst, strength, all wrapped up in positive nostalgia. In a plethora of safe adaptations, Sing Street stands out uncompromisingly. It belongs on a stage, it warrants being led by actor-musos, and it deserves a long life.
Ultimately, Sing Street feels determinedly, exhaustingly brainless. It was originally aimed at Broadway, but its trajectory was cut short by the pandemic. Much like teenagers kept home from school, it doesn’t seem to have got much smarter in the interim. It feels like it’s pitched at secondary school kids, but you wouldn’t take teens to a show that chucks around homophobic slurs with gay abandon or is content to use child sexual abuse as no more than a little gritty retro flavour. Still, the performers give it their all, many of them making their professional debuts – and the songs are genuinely fun. Tune out the talking and you might just have a good time.
| 2019 | Off-Broadway |
New York Theatre Workshop Off-Broadway World Premiere Off-Broadway |
| 2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2025 | West End |
West End |
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