Eamon Friel's first musical set for The Playhouse!

The much loved BBC radio presenter begins a new chapter in his creative career when 'The Music Makers' opens for its premiere at Londonderry's Playhouse Theatre in November 2010.

Friel will also direct the new production, which will include a few of his very best songs for Thran records as well as several new songs.

He said he is very excited about his latest work, which he describes as a musical comedy.

"That's what it used to be called-musical comedy- before the musical began to take itself a bit too seriously. It's a musical of ideas as well but there's a lot of scope for humour ranging from satire to knockabout visual stuff that can be very funny too."

He said some parts have been cast already but the principal part in the show is still up for grabs. Auditions for the role of Ms Madrigal will be held in the Playhouse in June, followed by rehearsals in September.

"It's the big part and requires a woman who can act and sing- someone somewhere between forty and fifty maybe," Friel said.

"I have written it for a small cast, seven in all and mostly a young cast. I have used a few of my very best songs from the four albums I've done for Thran Records in the past decade- Word Of Spring, The Waltz Of The Years, Here Is The River and the recent Smarter. However there are seven new songs as well. I wrote The Music Makers during the late summer and autumn of 2009.

"Once I'd got the central idea for the musical it almost wrote itself. But I have taken advice from a number of sources since then and there have been a couple of rewrites to strengthen it."

Eamon Friel wrote The Port Pageant for Derry City Council's Impact 92 celebrations and the play has been staged again twice since then, in 1998 and in 2006 and seems to be the only piece of theatre to have survived the 1992 extravaganza.

"Yes The Port Pageant was an important writing experience for me but it was an historical venture and very different from this project", Friel said.

Friel says that he is also very happy about the choice of venue.

"The Playhouse is a brilliant theatre, intimate and acoustically excellent. It was the stage there that I had in my head as I wrote the stage directions so I was delighted that Pauline Ross and Niall McCaughan at the Playhouse were so interested in and charmed by the musical.

"With Eddie O'Donnell as Musical Director I am confident about the show but I haven't given up on the albums. I am working on the new one at the moment at Blast Furnace Studios although I expect the musical will take precedence for the next few months."

Pauline Ross, founder of The Playhouse said: "It is always a pleasure to work with such a great talent as Eamon. His unique way with words and fantastic humour mean this will be a truly special and very funny musical, and we're delighted to showcase it here at The Playhouse."