Based on the BAFTA-nominated film, Colin Carberry and Glenn Patterson's Good Vibrations: A Punk Rock Musical opens June 18 at New York City's Irish Arts Centerr. The U.S. premiere began previews June 14 for a run though July 9. Harry Potter & The Cursed Child's Des Kennedy directs.
Good Vibrations tells the story of a beloved record store and label which was a safe haven from the violence that haunted 1970s Belfast, Northern Ireland. The store and label was founded by real-life radical and music lover Terri Hooley, who becomes the surprising leader of a ragtag band of kids as he tries to create a new community and heal his hometown.
The musical features a cast of 12 actor-singer-musicians which includes Cat Barter as Marilyn Hyndman, Connor Burnside as Billy Doherty, Darren Franklin as Dave, Marty Maguire as George Hooley, Odhrán McNulty as Ronnie Matthews, Chris Mohan as Graham ‘Getty’ Marshall, Christina Nelson as Mrs. Hooley and Mrs. Sharkey, Jolene O’Hara as Polly, Gavin Peden as Brian Young, Dylan Reid as Feargal Sharkey/Greg Cowan, Glen Wallace as Terri Hooley, and Jayne Wisener as Ruth Carr.
Good Vibrations pays homage to punk rock hits from The Undertones, the Outcasts, and Stiff Little Fingers, including "Teenage Kicks,” “Just Another Teenage Rebel,” and “Alternative Ulster." Kennedy helms the creative team comprised of music director Katie Richardson, choreographer Jennifer Rooney, set designer Grace Smart, costume designer Gillian Lennox, and lighting designer Jack Knowles.
The work is set during what is known as The Troubles and arriving in New York 25 years after the U.S. government helped end the violence with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. It is produced by Belfast's Lyric Theatre. Good Vibrations marks the first musical and largest-scale theatrical offering presented by Irish Arts Center to date.
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