THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Written and produced by John Merrigan & Danielle Merrigan
Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London, March 29, 2026, then UK & Ireland tour
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Moonlight, a new rock musical, tells the story of Philip Lynott. Lynott ("it's pronounced 'Lie-not' – get it right!", as he says in the play) was the main songwriter, singer, and bassist (and he would have put them in that order) of Thin Lizzy. In the 1970s and '80s he was a major rock star and an Irish music icon, much loved throughout the rock music world by fans and critics – he was even one of the few of the 'old guard' liked by the new wave of punk bands.
The show focuses on his formative years, not dwelling on Thin Lizzy's heyday or Lynott's drug-fuelled decline and sad death when all the addictions got too much for his body. He had his struggles. With a white Irish mother and a black Guyanese father who "didn't stick around", this "Black Irish bastard" (his words) found things difficult, both in Ireland and when he moved to a Britain where "No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish" was a sign in the window of many a boarding house. With that attitude, "I had no feckin' chance!" the real Phil said.
It places Lynott in the tradition of the great Irish poets, storytellers and wordsmiths of the past. (Why do the Irish use English so much better than other Anglophones?)
Someone is waiting in a Dublin pub, complete with cantankerous barman, for Phil Lynott – maybe his new manager? Someone who's aggravated by Phil's tardiness, anyway. In a [spoiler] nice twist, it's actually the great Irish poet Brendan Behan, who's been deputed by Oscar Wilde to welcome the late (in both senses) musician to Tír na Bhfilí, a mythological Land of the Poets. The bar's a fitting location, as Behan and Lynott were both fond of the hard stuff, of whatever kind.
There's a problem though: pace. Lynott's was a dramatic tale. But there's no drama on the stage. Behan and Lynott sit at a bar table, Behan asking questions, Lynott telling his tale. But static extemporisation, at length, does not an entertaining play make.
Dublin actor Pádraig Ó Loingsigh's increasingly inebriated Behan outshines the rest of the cast and drives the show along, and Mazz Murray (Mamma Mia! in the West End) is outstanding as Philip's mother Philomena in her two big numbers. But the 'main man', Peter M Smith, seems overawed playing Lynott. He's wistful and pedestrian in the 'Tír na Bhfilí' scenes, missing the real life Lynott's sparkle and energy (full disclosure, I met Phil in his latter days when my band supported his final group, Grand Slam, and he was funny, welcoming and generous to a young act – a rarity in the dog eat dog rock world). However Smith comes to life when performing the songs – he looks a lot like Lynott, especially in his first entrance, silhouetted, with afro, skinny jeans and military coat – and crucially sounds extraordinarily like him.
The onstage live band (Mike Brookfield and Kevin Rowe on Guitars, and Eddie Gaynor on Drums, under Musical Director, Larry Hogan who also handles Bass & Acoustic Guitars and Backing Vocals) are excellent musicians and cook up an authentic classic rock sound with lots of the later classic-era Thin Lizzy's trademark dual guitar lines. Lesser known early Lizzy numbers like 'Ray Gun', 'Look What The Wind Just Blew In', 'Song For While I'm Away', and 'Dublin' illustrate aspects of Lynott and the band's early days and fight to succeed, while the hits – 'Jailbreak', 'Dancing In The Moonlight', and the great 'Whiskey In The Jar' and rollicking 'The Rocker' – roused the audience.
Mind you, the Hammersmith audience didn't need much rousing – half the hall seemed to be inhabited by well oiled Irish folk who celebrated the musical numbers as if Phil had made a second coming and was singing them himself, and they were ecstatic when Eric Bell, Lizzy's original guitarist until the rock and roll life got the better of him, topped and tailed the performance with anecdotes about his old friend Philip, and another rendition of 'Whiskey'.
It seems like a work in progress. Sort out the random spotlighting, trim some of the new songs written for this show, and cut it after Lynott's raw, stark scene where he movingly talks to the audience about his addiction and sings 'Can You Hear Me At The Back'. And the mantra for writing anything for the stage is 'show don't tell', so cut the repetitive duologue, give us Lynott's undoubtedly fascinating life through action, and you'll have a punchier and better show.
Oh, and find a place for Lizzy's greatest song, 'The Boys Are Back In Town'.
May 20, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow
May 21, Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle
May 22, Orchard Theatre, Dartford
May 23, The Alexandra, Birmingham
June 11 & 12, Vicar St., Dublin
