George Best Musical To Open Friday
A musical about the life of Northern Irish football legend George Best will paying tribute to one of sport’s biggest icons when it opens in Belfast on Friday.
Best was catapaulted to celebrity status in the 1960s with his incredible on-pitch talent and popstar image but died in 2005 aged just 59 of multiple organ failure following years of heavy drinking.
This week, thousands of fans have booked tickets to watch “Dancing Shoes” during its initial two-and-a-half-week run at the Grand Opera House in Belfast to watch the tale of the man often referred to as the “Fifth Beatle”.
Best was more than just an inspiration to footballers, claims actor Aidan O’Neill who takes the lead role of Best from his days in the streets of Belfast to his death in London.
“I am a big fan of George Best and he inspired many thousands of people like me all over Ireland,” said O’Neill, one of the nine-strong cast, all hailing from Northern Ireland.
An extra sense of poignancy has been added to the musical following the death of Belfast-born snooker talent Alex Higgins, a friend of Best who is also portrayed in the production.
Like Best, Higgins had a temper and was a heavy drinker but also shared Best’s sense of humour.
One of Best’s most memorable and quoted phrases was that which summed up his chaotic lifestyle:
“I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”
Irish playwrights Marie Jones and Martin Lynch and musicians J.J. Gilmour from Scotland and Belfast’s Pat Gribben collaborated on the new musical.
Playwright Lynch, a self-confessed George Best fan, said he had never experienced a build-up to any of his plays like this one.
“Everyone is buzzing”, he said. “Even taxi drivers are really excited. They are all asking me for tickets”.
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Posted by Kristin
on Jul 29 2010. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News.
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