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Thousands of Londoners are taking part in X Factor-style auditions for a musical about the rebellion against Britain that helped to bring about Ireland's independence.
Producers from Camden are staging a song-and-dance show about the 1916 Easter Rising.
They hope an "artistic" take on the seven-day conflict in Dublin, in which about 450 people died, will become as big a hit as Les Misérables - the musical based on the Paris uprising of 1832.
More then 1,500 people have auditioned and the selection will be turned into a television programme that could be broadcast on the BBC and in Ireland.
Another round of auditions will be held in London early next year, and in nine other UK cities and five Irish towns.
Co-executive producer Amadin Ryan said he hoped the talent search would be broadcast in a show that is a cross between ITV's X Factor and Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC auditions for Oliver! and The Sound of Music.
The £10million show, called 1916: The Musical, is being backed by undisclosed investors and will premiere at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre in 2011 before a West End or Broadway transfer.
Mr Ryan said he could understand if people were concerned about the content of the musical, but added: "This is not a subject matter we are approaching lightly or intend to trivialise.
"We've carried out extensive research. British and Irish historians have been involved and we will show what happened from both perspectives."
The musical is the brainchild of Sean Ferris, a theatre designer and producer.
It interweaves historical and fictional characters, and has musical arrangements by teacher Simon Humphreys.
Mr Ryan said: "My aim has always been to produce something on the scale of Les Misérables."
Reader views (4)
Actually it was the IRB and the ICA who planned and executed the Easter Rising, not the IRA maybe learn a little history. The rising was actually extremely unpopular with everyone UNTIL the british executed the leaders causing fierce public backlash and fuelled the fire of the republican movement, so the Easter Rising actually glorified nothing.
I'm not ranting I just don't like seeing ignorant posters.
But yeah, this looks like a good thing, I'll be auditioning when it comes to ireland, dunno if it can top les mis though
- John, Dublin, Ireland round the corner from the GPO, 02/09/2009 20:20
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There is no doubt that a lot of time and effort has been put into this musical. I am positive that it will have huge pulling power, spanning across a wide spectrum national to worldwide). Being a fan of Ronan Keating and Westlife I hope that they will get behind this venture, not to mention Louis Walsh.
- Zac, England, 02/09/2009 18:13
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The Liberal corrosive assault on our society continues. We already have a play glorifying Muslim terrorists, why not the IRA?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 01/09/2009 16:10
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The boyo's might as well jump on the bandwagon every one else is making a laughing stock out of us
- Jackie, England, 01/09/2009 12:21
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