The Wife of Michael Cleary is a new musical written and composed by acclaimed folk artist Maz O’Connor. The first full-length public workshop presentation will take place on Friday 25 October 2024 at The Other Palace. This presentation is the culmination of the award, following a year of mentorship under George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
This breathtaking new folk musical is inspired by the true story of Bridget Cleary and shines a searing light on the dark side of Irish folklore. A strictly limited number of tickets will be released to the public and available to purchase on The Other Palace website.
The workshop presentation is directed by Olivier Award nominee Tinuke Craig, with movement direction by Shane Dempsey, casting by Nick Hockaday, and produced in association with DEM Productions and Jessie Anand. The cast includes Faoileann Cunningham and Ciarán Owens as Bridget and Michael Cleary respectively, Niall Buggy as Jack Dunne, Connor Byrne as Patrick Boland, Elena Ferrari as Mary Kennedy, Sinead Kenny as Johanna Burke, Peter Long and Brendan O’Rourke as Jamie and William Kennedy, and Mark Irwin as Father Cornelius Ryan.
The Wife of Michael Cleary is Maz O’Connor’s first musical. O’Connor has been described by The Observer as ‘a highly individual singer-songwriter.’ Winning a BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellowship in 2014 (once won by Adele) brought O’Connor to wider attention, and later that year she was nominated for a BBC Folk Award for her first album, ‘This Willowed Light’. She has since released 3 further albums, toured extensively, played live sessions on BBC Radio 2 and 3, and appeared at major UK festivals, including Glastonbury. Her latest, ‘Santorini’ (April 2023), has been widely praised, and her music has been called ‘an excellent thing’ by Mark Radcliffe of BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2. The Wife of Michael Cleary was selected for the BEAM2023 showcase of new musicals, where O’Connor presented a 25-minute excerpt to high acclaim.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.