World premiere of musical 42 Balloons is getting audiences VERY excited

A brand new musical is getting its world premiere run in Greater Manchester - and theatre fans are already VERY excited about it. 42 Balloons began previews this weekend at The Lowry's Quays Theatre, ahead of the official world premiere opening night on May 2.

And after its very first performance on Thursday night, audiences were already posting rave reviews on social media.

Comments from those among the first to see it include rave reviews like "absolutely fabulous" and "blown away". One said they'd "booked four more shows" after seeing the opening night.

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The musical has been some six years in the making, and brings to the stage the incredible, if rather improbable, real life story of a man who decided to pursue his dream to fly with the assistance of helium-filled balloons in 1980s America.

BBC Sport presenter Katherine Downes wrote on X: "Went to the opening night of @42_balloons yesterday at the Lowry and was blown away. Incredible music, an unbelievable true story and so much talent on show. Hope the cast and crew felt the love from the audience and good luck for the rest of the run. GO and see it."

Emma Monks wrote on Instagram: "I came to watch the show last night. The show was absolute perfection! The harmonies were on point sending chills down my spine! Every performer shone on stage.

"I had no idea what I was coming to watch, so it was an absolute delight from start to finish (I thought I was watching a show on Broadway) congratulations to every single department and of course the writer! You all smashed it! Congratulations I’m going to tell all my friends!"

Techiesaigon wrote on Instagram: "Just watched this and need a soundtrack ASAP please!"

Billed as an "uplifting musical", in more ways than one, it features an 80s-pop-inspired score of music as audiences will be transported back in time to the decade. First look images from the show have been released today showing the ambitious production on stage.

The musical follows the true story of truck driver Larry Walters and his partner Carol Van Deusen as they aim to convince their friends and family to help Larry achieve his dream of flying.

Back on July 2, 1982 using a lawn chair and approximately 42 helium-filled weather balloons, Larry defied all the odds (and FAA airspace regulations) to make that lifelong dream a reality. He would go on to fly sixteen thousand feet above Los Angeles in a chair.

Bringing the story to life on stage has been six years in the making for writer Jack Godfrey. He says: “I just really connected with Larry’s story. After discovering the incredible story of Larry's flight during a late night online deep dive, and it's extremely cool and slightly surreal to see it being realised as a full production for the first time at The Lowry.

"Theres so much in this that I connect with, and I think so many people do because we all have our little dreams, or our big dreams."

The Lowry has worked in association with producers Andy and Wendy Barnes of Global Musical and Debbie Hicks, Kevin McCollum, Sam Levy, S&Co and Kenny Wax on the major new musical show.

Matthew Eames, Co-Head of Theatres at The Lowry: “‘We have invested a lot in new musicals in recent years – through Rewrites, Operation Mincemeat, Police Cops and our artist development programme – but it is important that this is backed up by bold programming. Supporting the premiere production of 42 Balloons felt like the natural next step.

"Jack is an incredibly exciting writer, and this is a fascinating story to tell. We think audiences will love it and we are delighted they can see it here first."

Charlie McCullagh plays Larry Walters in the show. He says: "I think there is something that everybody can get from this show. I think everybody has had that feeling of wanting something that other people don’t understand and I think this show really connects with that.

"We can all relate to Larry having a dream – maybe we don’t all want to fly lawn chairs but there’s going to be something in your life that at some point that you’ve wanted and that’s what makes it special – and about the human connections we make along the way."

Evie Hoskins, who plays Larry's partner Carol, adds: "It’s the 80s so there’s nostalgia there, but it’s also brand new. So the music feels familiar, but it’s new. You’ll be humming these songs for days, they are absolute earworms."

They are joined in the cast by Gillian Hardie as ‘Carol’s Mom’ and Lejaun Sheppard as Ron. The rest of the company will comprise Simon Anthony, Jordan Broatch, Maddison Bulleyment, Athena Collins, Matt Jones, Luke Latchman, Rebekah Lowings, Jamie Pritchard, Laura Dawn Pyatt, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, and Natasha Wilde.

A brand-new song from the musical, "Lawn Chair Larry," has already been released on all streaming platforms, offering a sneak peek into the 80s pop-inspired score that will accompany Larry's daring flight. An EP featuring selected songs from the show has also been released to whet the audience's appetite.

Proucer Wendy Barnes said: "It’s our passion to produce new musicals with original stories - and original scores - by emerging artists, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover 42 Balloons and fall in love with the show as much as we have.

"Jack’s created a beautiful musical inspired by a remarkable true story from the early 80’s and has written a pop score that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the hits of that decade."

The show kicked off on April 18, and will now run through to May 19 at The Lowry's QuaysTheatre. Tickets are available from £32.50 from thelowry.com