‘Lourdes! The Musical’ set to work miracles at the Civic Theatre

“‘LOURDES! The Musical’ follows a character called Matthew, who is from rural Ireland,” explains playwright Xnthony (full name Anthony Keigher).

The award-winning musical theatre creator returns with a new show about miracles and the people who stage them, premiering as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival at the Civic Theatre this September.

‘Lourdes! The Musical’ is an “electrifying” pilgrimage of Hail Marys mixed with the “best new pop bangers” and will “rip your heart out and leave you thinking for days”.

‘Lourdes! The Musical’ is an unexpected, thrilling musical theatre extravaganza that needs to be seen to be believed.

Expect to laugh, cry, and emerge a fully changed person from this new stage of pilgrimage that follows the day in 2008 during the economic crash that Matthew’s life is finally about to begin as he receives news that changes him forever.

Instead of facing reality, he runs to Lourdes, where faith is a spectacle and a ragtag troupe of pilgrims are staging an amateur musical about Saint Bernadette, the woman who experienced the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858.

From Roscommon Arts Centre to the Southbank Centre in London, this exciting new show is led and created by Xnthony.

His work has been championed by leading cultural organisations while never losing sight of their commitment to challenging the systems that make sustaining a career as a queer artist so difficult.

Xnthony and his collaborators create bold, irreverent theatre, musicals, cabaret and community-led performance.

He was inspired to create the story due to personal experiences with Lourdes and a desire to explore complex themes such as illness, healing, and miracles.

The production of this musical has been of a complex and layered nature, having been in the works since 2022.

For Xnthony, a highlight has been seeing these characters come to life, namely those that run the parish, remarking that “they’re like characters that anybody in Tallaght or Roscommon would know.”

He has also enjoyed the comedy and “suspension of disbelief” surrounding the characters, as well as seeing the story grow from an idea to a large-scale production with an ensemble cast and band, supported by the Arts Council.

Xnthony also reflects that it has been “challenging” to go from fringe theatre to a larger scale, as the “figures are bigger, money is bigger, and stakes are higher”.

He also remarks on the concept of the “difficult second album”, as his last production, ‘Oliver Cromwell is Really Sorry’ was such a success.

However, as he and the crew have taken their time, they believe this new production will be “very worthwhile”.

Xnthony is currently working on multiple projects, including a show called ‘Troll Farm’, inspired by the K-Pop phenomenon, which explores the idea of manufacturing pop stars and the lengths people go to become famous.

Another project, ‘Eire 32’, involves creating a pop song for each county in Ireland, continuing into 2026 and 2027.

Xnthony describes his creative process as akin to being in a kitchen; “there are a lot of different things that I am cooking.”

He goes on to express his respect and admiration for the Civic remarking that “they’re really focused on bringing entertaining work to audiences.”

Xnthony would like to thank the Virgin Mary for helping the production get to this stage; “without her, there’d be no show”.

‘Lourdes! The Musical’ has its world premiere on September 25 at the Civic Theatre, performing at 7:30pm each evening until October 3 and then again from October 6 to 10.

The first four evenings will serve as previews, with the official opening night taking place on September 30.

There will be 2:30pm matinee performances on October 3 and 10, as well as an Irish Sign Language performance at 7:30pm on October 9.

For booking details, check the Civic website at civictheatre.ie