Lowry, Salford
Jack Godfrey’s witty show is about a lovable dreamer who took flight in a garden chair attached to helium balloons
‘What makes a man try to fly in a lawn chair?” sing the ensemble of Jack Godfrey’s new musical. Why would someone attach 42 (or maybe 43) helium-filled weather balloons to a chair and float high above Los Angeles? And why would anyone want to write a musical about it?
42 Balloons, directed by Ellie Coote, offers a convincing answer to that last question. Larry Walters, or Lawnchair Larry as he became known after taking flight in 1982, is an odd true-life subject. But Godfrey approaches this quirky story with empathy, wit and self-awareness, telling a charming tale of implausible dreams – and what happens when you finally achieve them.
At the Lowry, Salford, until 19 May
