Roy’s gone but I, Keano to open in Manchester

THE man himself may have headed further north but the producers of I, Keano are confident that enough of his aura lingers in Manchester to ensure the musical’s success when it hits the boards in the city in just over a month.

The play, which adapts the tale of Roy Keane's clash with former Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and transposes it to Ancient Rome, is to be staged at The Lowry Theatre, Salford, in Manchester, from February 27 to March 11. And though Keane has now left Manchester United for Glasgow Celtic, the producers are confident this will not diminish the show's appeal.

While the critics might not have reached dizzying heights of rapture with their reviews of the musical, it seemed to be a case of critics be damned, as it proved a massive success with audiences, selling out wherever it has played.

Producer Pat Moylan yesterday said: "You have to be very fast on your feet to keep up with Roy because there is such huge interest in the man over in Britain he is all over the English media. And it's not just Roy Keane, it's an Irish musical, so there's a theatre audience, a musical audience, a football audience and there is also a huge audience over there for Irish material."

Author Richard Kurt, who also edits United fanzine Red Issue and writes a weekly column on the club for the Irish Examiner, was a little more sceptical about the play's chance of success, suggesting it might have missed the boat.

"Sadly, I suspect the market might have dropped a bit for it now that Keane is gone. If it had come out six months ago, a lot of us would have gone, especially with the Father Ted connection [Arthur Matthews, who co-authored I, Keano also co-wrote Father Ted].

"Father Ted is absolutely massive over here which made it more attractive because, normally, football fans are allergic when high art takes on football. I did a play myself about United and it's hard to get football fans into a traditional theatre although my play did play Manchester and sold out," he said.

"The Irish lads who come over for the games will probably make it a double header as they come over for the weekend when they come for matches."

A spokesman for The Lowry said yesterday that ticket sales were "going fine at the moment."

"There are different promotions going for different nights, first and last night are very busy and the other nights are just moderate."

According to Moylan, the great man himself was very taken with the musical when he came to see it in Dublin.

"He came backstage and talked to the cast and had his photograph taken with them he was utterly charming, I was very impressed," she said.

"He loved the show and when it came to Cork, he got tickets for all the family, I think they even went twice."