''Local Hero'' is a musical with music and lyrics by

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

, and a book by

Bill Forsyth William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946). known as Bill Forsyth, is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films '' Gregory's Girl'' (1981), '' Local Hero'' (1983) and '' Comfort and Joy'' (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Ma ...

and David Greig. The musical is based on the 1983 film of the same name, written by

. It tells the story of an American oil company representative who is sent to the fictional village of Furness on the west coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

to purchase the town and surrounding property for his company. The musical made its world premiere at the

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

in March 2019.

Production history

The musical is based on the 1983

indie film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

'' Local Hero'', written and directed by

. The film was produced on a budget of just £3 millionWalker, Alexander. ''National Heroes: British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties'', Harrap, 1985, p. 182. and won several awards including the 1984 BAFTA Award for Best Direction and the

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay is an annual film award given by the New York Film Critics Circle. The most successful in this category were Woody Allen, Robert Benton, Ingmar Bergman, Kenneth Lonergan, Paul Mazursky, Qu ...

World premiere: Edinburgh (2019)

The play received its world premiere at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh in March 2019. A co-production with

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

, the show has a book by the film's original screenwriter and director, Bill Forsyth, which has been adapted by Lyceum artistic director David Greig, with direction by John Crowley, movement direction by Lucy Hind, set and costume design by

Scott Pask Scott Pask is an American scenic and costume designer. He has worked primarily on stage productions in the United States, on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre, as well as in the United Kingdom. He has won Tony Awards for his work ...

, lighting design by

Paule Constable Paule Constable is a British lighting designer. She won the 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2020 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design. She was also a nominee for four further productions and for a 2007 Tony Award on Broadway. In 2011 she won t ...

and video by Luke Halls. The musical features an original score and lyrics by Mark Knopfler, with sound design by Paul Arditti, musical supervision by Dave Milligan and music direction by Phil Bateman. ''Local Hero'' began previews at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on 14 March 2019, with an official opening night on 23 March, booking for a limited period until 20 April. Due to demand the world premiere run was extended until 4 May. Notable casting included

Damian Humbley Damian Humbley (born 13 February 1979) is an Australian singer and actor. Born in Queensland, he trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He is best known for his work on the stage in the UK, notable credits including accl ...

as Mac, Katrina Bryan as Stella, Matthew Pidgeon as Gordon, and Simon Rouse as Happer. The production was due to transfer to The Old Vic, London where it was scheduled to begin previews 18 June 2020, with an official opening night on 1 July, booking for a limited period until 22 August. As a result of the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

, however, The Old Vic announced in April 2020 that the production was being postponed, with no revised dates given at that time. The Old Vic have since announced that the production will not be going ahead due to the theatre's schedule. According the calls that ticket holders received to get their refunds, the Old Vic would like to have the production back in one or two years when the pandemic situation allow musicals at their stage.

Chichester revival (2022)

A new production will open at the

Minerva Theatre, Chichester The Minerva Theatre is a studio theatre seating, at full capacity, 310. It is run as part of the adjacent Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, and was opened in 1989.Daniel Evans, designed by Frankie Bradshaw with lighting design by Paule Constable with Ryan Day, Projection design by Ash J Woodward, sound design by Paul Arditti, musical direction by Richard John and orchestrated and arranged by Dave Milligan. Casting is to be announced.

Plot

''Local Hero'' tells the story of an American oil company representative who is sent to the fictional village of Ferness on the west coast of Scotland to purchase the town and surrounding property to build a new refinery.

Musical numbers

Edinburgh 2019 ;Act I *"A Barrel Of Crude" - Company *"Houston We Have A Problem" - Mac *"We're Going To Make A Killing" - Company *"What A Life" - Ben *"Filthy Dirty Rich" - Gordon, Stella and Company *"Rocks And Water" - Stella *"That'd Do Me" - Company *"I Hope You Haven't Changed On Me" - Stella and Gordon (Only performed during the preview shows) *"Big Mac" - Iain, Viktor and Company *"I Wonder If I Can Go Home Again" - Mistress Fraser and Company *"Lone Star State" - Viktor ;Act II *"Never Felt Better" - Company *"Cheerio Away You Go" - Ben and Stella *"Get A Move On"- Company *"Numbers"- Stella and Mac *"All The Things That We Do" - Company Women *"In An Ideal Word" - Mac and Gordon *"Game Over" - Stella *"I Wonder If I Can Go Home Again (reprise)" - Mac *"Aiming For The Stars" - Ben and Company *"Going Home" Chichester 2022 ;Act I *"A Barrel Of Oil" - Company *"Houston We Have A Problem" - Mac *"Welcome to Ferness" - The Band *"We're Going To Make A Killing" - Company *"What A Life" - Ben *"Filthy Dirty Rich" - Gordon, Stella and Company *"Rocks And Water" - Stella *"That'd Do Me" - Company *"Big Mac and Gordon" - Iain, Viktor and Company *"I Wonder If I Can Go Home Again" - Mistress Fraser and Company ;Act II *"Never Felt Better" - Company *"Cheerio Away You Go" - Ben and Stella *"Filthy Dirty Rich - Reprise" - Company *"Numbers"- Stella and Mac *"In An Ideal Word" - Mac and Gordon *"Rocks and Water - Reprise" - Stella *"I Wonder If I Can Go Home Again (reprise)" - Mac *"Going Home"

Principal roles and Edinburgh cast

Principal roles and Chichester cast

References

{{Mark Knopfler 2019 musicals Musicals based on films British musicals