Carlow County Council Arts Services announce support for local music production

Following sell-out runs in Kilkenny and Dublin, ‘Letters From The Front’ written by Don O’Connor and Ollie Hennessey and presented by Cloud 9 Productions will be in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre, at Visual, Carlow from 1st – 4th May. Award winning West End leading lady Rebecca Storm will recreate her role as Frau Breitner and for this run the cast will be joined by renowned Ukranian baritone Maksym Lozovyi .

Maksym lived in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson for 6 months where he was lead vocalist with the Kherson Regional Philarmonic. However, his life changed dramatically with the invasion of the Russian army in 2022. After Maksym’s friend and conductor of the Kherson Philharmonic Yuriy Kerpatenko was murdered by Russian soldiers Maksym decided to leave Ukraine with his family. Currently residing in Carlow, Maksym will make his Irish dramatic debut portraying the character of German officer Kruger in this new Irish musical drama.

Set during World War 1 The new musical tells the emotional tales of three families, caught up in the turmoil of WW1. This is a story of young love and sacrifice when Irish couple, Willie and Eileen’s circumstances force them to separate when Willie is sent to fight for the British military stationed at the Western Front. The only communication keeping the couple's connection alive is through the heart-felt letters they exchange.

‘Letters From The Front’ features a stunning orchestral music score and beautiful original songs that underpin the raw emotions of the characters as they navigate the turbulent waters of the Great War. From haunting melodies that speak to the depths of despair, to uplifting songs that celebrate the strength of the characters, inspired by and based on real letters that were written by soldiers and family members throughout the years 1914-1918, the music of ‘Letters from the Front’ will resonate deeply with audiences. Beginning life as ‘A Silent Night’ a 30-minute presentation during the Kilkenny Yuletide Festival in 2018, the theme of the story is inspired by true life letters written to and by soldiers on the front-line during WWI.

Creators Don O’Connor and Ollie Hennessey said. Many of our cast including Rebecca herself have family links to WWI and we were unaware of the scale of Irish participation in WWI (over 200,000 Irish men served in the British military with 35,000 losing their lives) until we started writing the musical”. Ollie who is responsible for the music added - Having someone with such exceptional theatre experience as Rebecca agreeing to come on board makes us believe we have something special in this piece of musical theatre”.

Rebecca Storm added “I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of 'Letters from the Front' and to bring this incredible story to Carlow for the very first time. It's a powerful and moving piece of musical theatre. I actually have the letters written by my great grandfather who fought at the Battle of the Somme, so these four performances in such a beautiful, intimate venue at Visual will be very special not only for me but also the other cast members many who like me have ancestors who fought in WWI.”

Tickets on sale now: visualcarlow.ie 0599172400 boxoffice@visualcarlow.ie