1588 The Musical
A time of war. A quest for identity. A love that shatters all.
18+ performers
9+ musicians
original
Middle school (11–13) · High school (14+)
About This Show
'1588' is a swashbuckling saga about love and the struggle for identity, set across the seas between Spain and Ireland during the Spanish Armada campaign of invasion against England in 1588. An epic story from the past, the musical explores highly relevant themes today in examining the devastating consequences of political, religious and personal conflict and the suffering we endure in failing to live our truth. It follows the illegitimate but recognised son of the King of Spain, Juan de Leiva, who feels suffocated by court life and seeks to distinguish himself and avoid his impending arranged marriage by joining the Spanish Armada expedition. Dogged by bad weather, the fleet is defeated and forced to navigate its return journey along the treacherous West of Ireland coastline. Juan finds himself shipwrecked, washed ashore and struggling for survival in rural Gaelic Ireland, an outpost besieged by tyrannical English Crown forces. Soon he meets Bronagh, an Irish chieftain’s daughter. Juan must decide whether to return to his old life in Spain or remain with his ‘media naranja’ and one true love in a land of a thousand shades of green and savage war. Ultimately, the decision will change his life forever, with devastating consequences. Brimming with soaring Spanish arias, military marches, hymns of hope and lovelorn laments accompanied by a captivating orchestral score, 1588 weaves an evocative blend of Spanish and Irish music, sweeping narrative and resounding themes of love, hope and the struggle for identity, to explore what is at its heart a tragic love story.