Jack Godfrey is the creator of new musical 42 Balloons playing at The Lowry, Salford from until 19 May 2024, with a gala performance on Thursday 2 May.
Joining the previously announced Charlie McCullagh (Bonnie & Clyde, Dr.Zhivago) and Evelyn Hoskins (Waitress, Gypsy, Spring Awakening) reprising their roles as ‘Larry’ and ‘Carol’ from the 2022 staged concert performances in the West End, will be Gillian Hardie (Kinky Boots, Blood Brothers, Bag Girls The Musical) as ‘Carol’s Mom’ and Lejaun Sheppard (The Book of Mormon, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) as ‘Ron’. The rest of the company will comprise Simon Anthony (Guys & Dolls, White Christmas), Jordan Broatch (You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Anyone Can Whistle), Maddison Bulleyment (SIX, The Bridges of Madison County), Athena Collins (SIX, Kin The Musical), Morgan Gregory (Elf, Newsies), Matt Jones (Pretty Woman, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory), Luke Latchman (Sunset Boulevard, Millennials), Rebekah Lowings (My Fair Lady, Ghost The Musical), Jamie Pritchard (Les Misérables), Laura Dawn Pyatt (SIX), Tinovimbanashe Sibanda (Guys & Dolls, Moulin Rouge!) and Natasha Wilde (2023 graduate).
42 Balloons has book, music and lyrics by Jack Godfrey whose other works include This is a Love Story (Dundee Rep) and Babies (Lyric).
42 Balloons is playing at the Lowry, what can you tell us about this new musical?
42 Balloons is a new musical inspired by the true story of Larry Walters, who flew a lawn chair attached to approximately 42 helium weather balloons above Los Angeles in 1982. Larry had the dream of becoming a pilot, but couldn’t become a pilot of a conventional aircraft because he had bad eyesight.
So he decided to make his dream come true in an unconventional way – by building one himself! The show follows Larry and his girlfriend Carol, who make the balloon-based flight become a reality together. It’s a sung-through pop musical about having dreams, helping others to achieve their dreams, and what happens when your dream comes true, but not quite in the way you might have expected.
It’s based on an improbable true story, what inspired you to turn it into a musical?
I first discovered the story during a late-night internet deep dive about six and a half years ago, and I immediately connected with it on a personal level. I had recently moved to London with the big dream of becoming a professional musical theatre writer, and, like Larry, I had my fair share of people doubting me and my dreams.
So I really connected with this story about someone who wanted to prove everyone wrong and make his dream become a reality. It’s also a story mainly set in the 80s, and as a fan of 80s music myself, I really wanted to set myself the challenge of writing a score with big beats, huge harmonies and emotional musical textures to pay tribute to that iconic era.
What have been the challenges of getting a new musical on to the stage?
It’s been just over six years since I started writing 42 Balloons and we have definitely had our fair share of obstacles! I think it’s especially hard to get noticed as a new musical which isn’t based on an existing movie or book.
You have to work incredibly hard to get the attention of potential audiences and prove that this is a show worthy of their time! So I’m extremely grateful for everyone who has taken a chance on us and given us their support over the years.
Tell us a little about the cast, and what it’s been like working with them?
I feel so fortunate to be working with a truly exceptional cast on this show. We did a staged concert version of the show at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in November 2022, and we have a few returners from that version of the show – our two leads Charlie McCullagh and Evie Hoskins, as well as Jordan Broatch and Laura Dawn Pyatt in the ensemble.
And we’ve added a whole array of extraordinarily talented actors to the cast this time around. I honestly can’t pick out anyone in particular because I am totally in awe of all of them. I can’t quite believe they’ve all agreed to be in the show.
What are you looking forward to most about working at the Lowry?
The whole team at the Lowry are amazing, and I’m especially grateful for Matt Eames, the Head of Theatres, who is a huge supporter of new musicals and has been a great person to have in our corner over the last couple of years. The musical theatre industry can feel very London-centric in the UK, and so I’m really glad that we have the opportunity to step outside of that bubble and create a brand-new musical in Salford at such a wonderful venue. The Quays Theatre at the Lowry is a great space to create a show because it has the capacity to feel intimate but also epic at the same time, and I’m excited for us to make the space our own and welcome audiences into the world of 42 Balloons.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see 42 Balloons?
I think 42 Balloons is a fundamentally human story which celebrates the power of dreams, no matter how big or small they may be, and I hope that everyone will be able to relate to it in some way. I’m a huge fan of musical theatre and I’ve been inspired by many shows while writing 42 Balloons, and so I think I’d describe it as the emotional storytelling of Come From Away meets the frenetic energy of Hamilton meets the pop bops of Six.
If that sounds at all appealing, please come and check out 42 Balloons at the Lowry until the 19th of May!
