Jones and Lynch bring ‘The Miami’ back to life

Are you ready to revisit Ireland in the 1960s in the company of the legendary Miami Showband and all their fantastic hits? Then the new show, The Miami Showband Story, from writing duo Marie Jones and Martin Lynch will be right up your street.

Told through the eyes of two best friends and Miami songwriters, Fran O‘Toole and Des Lee, The Miami Showband Story weaves us through the amazing rollercoaster life of the iconic showband.

Written by Marie Jones and Martin Lynch, the team that wrote Dancing Shoes – The George Best Story, The Miami Showband Story takes us through the joyous dancehall days of the 1960s to the tragedy in 1975 that devastated the country.

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“I grew up in the era of the showbands, that was our social life every Friday and Saturday night,” admitted Marie Jones. “Before the showbands started, if you lived in a community that was where you stayed, but when the showbands started, young people moved away from their own districts and you met people from all over. I was a big fan and I remember the Miami Showband was the big draw.”

The show came to life when band member and survivor of the 1975 massacre Des Lee approached playwright Martin Lynch with the hope of sharing his story.

Having written Dancing Shoes together, Martin and Marie were keen to team up again but they wanted to show to be about more than the 1975 tragedy, which saw three members of the band being murdered on their way home from a gig in Banbridge,

“There was a great joy and innocence about the showbands era and we wanted to show that,” continued Marie. “It is the story of two young lads, Fran O’Toole and Des Lee, who grew up with dreams of being professional musicians.

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“We have included all the songs that everyone will remember but young people can also relate to the story of two boys who wanted to start a band.”

With a cast of talented musicians, and plenty of hits, the show will have you dancing in the aisles.

The Miami Showband Story is kicking off its tour at the Grand Opera House in Belfast from August 8 - 17 before heading out on the road to theatres across Ireland, including the Market Place Theatre in Armagh on August 20 and the Millennium Forum on August 22-24.

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