West End star Christina Bennington to perform in new musical THE NECKLACE in concert
Love is in the air as the award-winning Belfast Ensemble is set to present The Necklace - A New Musical in Concert from acclaimed composer Conor Mitchell, exploring love and social ambition in fin de siècle Paris.
For one spectacular night only at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast on 9 March, West End star Christina Bennington (Bat Out of Hell The Musical) joins the internationally acclaimed ensemble for the world premiere of The Necklace.
This a ravishing new musical from the Ivor Novello nominated composer (who also directs) is an adaptation of the famous Maupassant story La Parure, and interrogates the constructs of social climbing and class in a period of massive political change. Drawing a parallel with today’s social media, fame and notoriety obsessions, this lushly orchestrated chamber musical charts the demise of one woman, the diamond necklace she loses and the society she wants to be seen in.
Presented with a 24-piece orchestra, this concert premieres the work ahead of a 2026 production in Ireland and brings Mitchell’s first love, symphonic musical theatre writing back to the fore.
Conor Mitchell of The Belfast Ensemble said: “This show has been waiting for its moment, and that moment is now. The rhapsodic lines and depth of harmony take a step forward from the world of Sondheim and Bernstein, building on that tradition of symphonic sound and drama. Big music! Belfast is fast becoming a place of musical invention and new ideas. This is a bold move, allowing audiences into the birth of a work. One that, I hope, reflects our world through the world of the past.”
The cast also features Chanice Alexander-Burnett, Matthew Cavan, Adam Gillian, Mark Dugdale, Kara Lane, Ciara Mackey, Charlie McCullagh, Brigid Shine, and Nigel Richards.