Glen Hansard's Waking Ned Devine Musical to Premiere in Belfast in 2027

Waking Ned Devine, the final musical from Once composer Glen Hansard, 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 Hansard and his Once collaborator Markéta Irglová, book by David Hein, and direction by John Doyle.

This marks Hansard and Irglová’s first full-scale musical since Once, which premiered in New York in 2011 before transferring to the West End and Broadway. Hein is the coauthor of Come From Away.

The show is about elderly Ned Devine, who wins the lottery and promptly dies, leaving the members of a small Irish town to figure out how to share in his newfound wealth.

Following Hansard’s death earlier this summer, the Lyric Theatre, Waking Ned Devine LLC and the creative team 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.