1916 The Musical - Now I'm With You

This is the first full song to be uploaded on YouTube, taken from the December Premiere Showcase at The London Irish Centre in Camden.


Having blogged on “1916 The Musical” last March I’m very glad to see it is getting nearer production with the full musical score having now been recorded at Universal Studios and a number of heavyweight industry figures joining the team. It is good to see it gathering momentum as this is the seminal event in Irish history and indeed in the history of my hometown of Dublin.


GPO Dublin 1916 after the Easter Rising

One of these figures coming on board is John Cameron who is an acclaimed Composer, Arranger and Conductor; the creator of the original orchestral score of Les Misérables from its inception in Paris 1980, through the Royal Shakespeare Company, Broadway, and concert versions to the production still playing at the Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End today.

On joining the team, John Cameron was asked what attracted him to the project:

“I have been involved in a variety of projects involving Celtic music, including film scores for ‘To End All Wars’ and ‘Driftwood’, my cantata ‘Missa Celtica’ and a string quartet ‘Tara’s Brooch’, and so Celtic music is certainly in my blood. Furthermore as a historian, the subject of Irish Independence has always been for me one of the key issues of the last four hundred years. When I was approached about writing music for 1916, the subject already excited me, and the story that Sean and Simon had woven around the events of 1916, by turns heroic and tragic, funny and romantic was enough to make me want to start writing straight away.”




I recently had the pleasure of meeting the person who has been the driving force behind the project, theatrical producer Sean Ferris. ‘1916 The Musical’, is an epic love story and the brainchild of Sean Ferris, was born 17 years ago, when Sean was walking through the streets of London. Of Irish descent, Sean is fiercely patriotic and proud of his heritage, describing Ireland as “where his heart is”. He feels compelled to tell this passionate love story to an audience, who are perhaps not familiar with the iconic events of Easter, 1916.

When speaking with Sean, the word ‘Legacy’ is mentioned on numerous occasions, which emphasises Sean’s belief in the power of theatre to not simply entertain, but to educate and culturally enrich its audience. Yes, ‘1916 The Musical’ utilises the successful formula of war and revolution to frame a story of love and deceit, a model employed by film and theatre writers for centuries; however, Sean’s intentions go further than simply creating a box office phenomenon.



For when “1916 The Musical” goes into production it will act as a catalyst for reappraisal of this seminal event in modern Irish history. As the poet WB Yeats put it;

“Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.”

WB Yeats – Easter 1916

Here is the Production’s website;

http://www.1916themusical.com

Here is the background to this musical production;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/03/1916-musical.html