Waking Ned Devine musical, with tunes by Once’s Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, to have world premiere in 2027

A musical adaptation of Waking Ned Devine will have its world premiere at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast in February 2027.

Based on the 1998 film by Kirk Jones, the new musical features music and lyrics by Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard, is directed by Tony Award-winner John Doyle and written by David Hein.

The creative team has been developing the musical with Hansard and Irglová over the past year. It marks their first full-scale musical since Once, which premiered in New York in 2011 before transferring to the West End and Broadway.

It tells the story of Ned Devine, who has won a fortune on the lottery, and his fellow residents in a small Irish village as they grapple with unexpected changes in fortune.

Following Hansard’s death earlier this summer, the Lyric Theatre, Waking Ned Devine LLC and the creative team, including Doyle and Irglová, have agreed to continue with the production. According to the venue, Hansard was involved in the early development of the musical and had expressed his excitement about the production beginning its journey in Belfast.

The musical will begin performances at the Lyric Theatre in February 2027, with further details and casting to be announced.

Tickets will go on sale at the end of September, with Lyric+ members receiving priority booking.