COME FLY WITH ME
‘UPLIFTING MUSICAL’ 42 BALLOONS, BASED ON A REAL-LIFE STORY, FEATURES A SCORE INSPIRED BY 1980S’ POP, WRITES DIANNE BOURNE
IN the same week that The Lowry was praised at the prestigious Olivier Awards for being the original home of the West End’s best new musical Operation Mincemeat, it seems entirely fitting that the Salford theatre will now showcase its latest world premiere endeavour.
Brand new musical 42 Balloons begins previews this weekend at The Lowry’s Lyric Theatre, ahead of the official world premiere opening night on May 2.
It is a show that has been some six years in the making. And it will bring to the stage the incredible, if rather improbable, real life story of a man who decided to pursue his dream to fly with the assistance of helium-filled balloons.
Billed as an ‘uplifting musical,’ in more ways than one, it will feature an 80s’ pop-inspired score of music as audiences will be transported back in time to the decade.
The musical follows the true story of truck driver Larry Walters and his partner Carol Van Deusen as they aim to convince their friends and family to help Larry achieve his dream of flying.
Back on July 2, 1982, using a lawn chair and approximately 42 helium-filled weather balloons, Larry defied all the odds (and FAA airspace regulations) to make that lifelong dream a reality.
He would go on to fly sixteen thousand feet above Los Angeles in a chair.
Bringing the story to life on stage has been six years in the making for writer Jack Godfrey.
He says: “I just really connected with Larry’s story. After discovering the incredible story of Larry’s flight during a late night online deep dive, it’s extremely cool and slightly surreal to see it being realised as a full production for the first time at The Lowry.
“There’s so much in this that I connect with, and I think so many people do because we all have our little dreams, or our big dreams.”
The Lowry has worked in association with producers Andy and Wendy Barnes of Global Musical and Debbie Hicks, Sam Levy, S&Co and Kenny Wax on the major new musical show.
Matthew Eames, Co-Head of Theatres at The Lowry, said: “‘We have invested a lot in new musicals in recent years – through Rewrites, Operation Mincemeat, Police Cops and our artist development programme – but it is important that this is backed up by bold programming. Supporting the premiere production of 42 Balloons felt like the natural next step.
“Jack is an incredibly exciting writer, and this is a fascinating story to tell. We think audiences will love it and we are delighted they can see it here first.”
Charlie McCullagh plays Larry Walters in the show. He says: “I think there is something that everybody can get from this show. I think everybody has had that feeling of wanting something that other people don’t understand and I think this show really connects with that.
“We can all relate to Larry having a dream – maybe we don’t all want to fly lawn chairs, but there’s going to be something in your life that at some point that you’ve wanted and that’s what makes it special – and about the human connections we make along the way.”
Evie Hoskins, who plays Larry’s partner Carol, adds: “It’s the 80s so there’s nostalgia there, but it’s also brand new. So the music feels familiar, but it’s new. You’ll be humming these songs for days, they are absolute earworms.”
They are joined in the cast by Gillian Hardie as ‘Carol’s Mom’ and Lejaun Sheppard as Ron. The rest of the company will comprise Simon Anthony, Jordan Broatch, Maddison Bulleyment, Athena Collins, Matt Jones, Luke Latchman, Rebekah Lowings, Jamie Pritchard, Laura Dawn Pyatt, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, and Natasha Wilde.
A brand-new song from the musical ‘Lawn Chair Larry’ has already been released on all streaming platforms, offering a sneak peek into the 80s’ popinspired score that will accompany Larry’s daring flight. An EP featuring selected songs from the show has also been released to whet the audience’s appetite.
Producer Wendy Barnes said: “It’s our passion to produce new musicals with original stories and original scores - by emerging artists, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover 42 Balloons and fall in love with the show as much as we have.
“Jack’s created a beautiful musical inspired by a remarkable true story from the early 80s and has written a pop score that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the hits of that decade.”
● The show kicked off yesterday, and will now run through to May 19 at The Lowry’s Lyric Theatre. Tickets are available from £32.50 from thelowry.com