In recent years, there has been a noticeable resurgence of large-scale stage-to-screen movie musicals making their way to cinemas and streaming platforms. Titles like West Side Story, Wicked, In The Heights, Tick, Tick... BOOM!, Dear Evan Hansen, and Cats have all been part of this trend, with Hollywood executives eager to transform them into blockbuster hits. However, the reverse process—a (non-Disney) movie musical making the transition to the stage—is somewhat less common. Now, after a successful Off-Broadway run in 2019 that was cut short by the pandemic, Sing Street: A New Musical, an all-singing, all-dancing stage adaptation of John Carney's beloved 2016 film, is set to debut in the West End.
As reported by What's On Stage, the Sing Street musical, which follows the story of a 16-year-old Dubliner attempting to form a band in the 1980s, will premiere at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London next summer, running from 8 July to 23 August 2025. The production features music and lyrics co-written by Carney and his movie collaborator Gary Clark, a book by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, and choreography by Sonya Tayeh. Directed by the original show's director, Rebecca Taichman, Sing Street: A New Musical will include original songs specifically composed for the stage. This new production will be distinct from the previous versions seen in New York and Boston, offering a fresh take on the musical.
Having already successfully transitioned his 2007 romance Once from an Oscar-winning movie to a Tony- and Grammy-award-winning West End and Broadway show, Carney has proven his expertise in the musical theatre realm. Despite his films often avoiding typical musical tropes, it remains to be seen whether Sing Street: A New Musical will capture the essence of the movie or fall short. Audiences will have the opportunity to judge for themselves when Conor and his band take the West End stage next July.
