DANCING SHOES – THE GEORGE BEST MUSICAL
JJ started writing the songs & ideas for a stage musical based on the life of Northern Irish footballing legend George Best at his home in Jersey in the Channel Islands back in 2003/2004. His dear friend Mark Carmichael heard the initial songs, and after seeing JJ’s attempts at writing the script, Mark encouraged him to push on with it. After Mark’s untimely passing, JJ moved to Co. Donegal in Ireland, where his old friend Raymond (aka Gilbert O’Sullivan) came to play a concert there. JJ caught up with Raymond after the show, and Raymond’s words reignited the flame in him to start work on the play once again.
Raymond asked friend and musician Nicky Scott, if he could help, and he in turn introduced JJ to the award-winning Irish playwright Marie Jones, who brought the revered play-right & theatre director Martin Lynch to the idea, taking over the script from JJ to allow him to concentrate on the music.
JJ had previously met Pat Gribben from the Belfast band The Adventures and Pat joined him in writing the music for Dancing Shoes. With the team complete, they worked on the musical for another two years, it had its premier in 2010 at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, George’s home town, before touring the UK & Ireland, playing to over 70,000 people in Dublin, Derry, Cork, Manchester, Glasgow & Belfast.
The show gave debut acting roles to Packy Lee, now playing Johnny Dogs in Peaky Blinders, and Kerri Quinn who went on to star in Coronation Street.
JJ’s dream back in that little house in Jersey of writing a musical about the life of George Best was realised. George would have been proud. What a man… what a life.