New musical 'Just For One Day' to premiere at the Old Vic

Best-selling author John O'Farrell and director Luke Shepperd will bring the story of Live Aid to the stage at the Old Vic in a new musical scheduled for next year.

The Old Vic announces the world premiere of Just For One Day, a new musical that will tell the story of the 1985 fundraising concert, Live Aid. The production is set for a limited run from 26 January to 30 March 2024.

This significant moment in music history saw Bob Geldof bringing together 70 artists to perform for free in both London and Philadelphia, resulting in a remarkable $127 million raised for famine relief. In partnership with the Band Aid Charitable Trust, this production will provide an insight to the creation of Live Aid that brought 1.5 billion people together.

Bob Geldof said in a statement: "From seeing Just For One Day throughout its development, if this musical encourages just one person to have a positive impact for the better, then it will be a job well done."

The new jukebox musical features songs from Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, The Cars, Status Quo, Paul Weller, Sade, The Boomtown Rats, Bryan Adams, Diana Ross, Ultravox and more.

John O'Farrell (Mrs Doubtfire, Something Rotten) will write the musical, with Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, The Little Big Things) directing.

"I had the pleasure of working with Luke Sheppard on Matilda The Musical and I have always admired the witty brilliance of John O’Farrell’s writing – I am thrilled to have these two great forces uniting on The Old Vic stage alongside an excellently talented company," The Old Vic Artistic Director Matthew Warchus, said in a statement. "For those of us who were around in the '80s, Saturday 13 July 1985 I'm sure will be one of those days that is forever etched in our memories. We all remember where we watched Live Aid, who we watched it with, and the pure amazement at the feat that was unfolding before our eyes. It's these memories and individual stories that are the beating heart of Just For One Day, and I can't wait for audiences to share in a moment that galvanised the globe once again."

Julie Atherton, Ashley Campbell, Jackie Clune, Craige Els, James Hameed, Naomi Katiyo,Hope Kenna, Freddie Love, Emily Ooi, and Rhys Wilkinson will star in Just For One Day, with further casting to be announced.

The full creative team also includes musical supervisor and orchestrator Matthew Brind, choreographer Ebony Molina, set designer Soutra Gilmour, costume designer Fay Fullerton, lighting designer Howard Hudson, sound designer Gareth Owen, and video and animation designer Andrzej Gouldingand.

Check back for Just For One Day tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: LIVE AID at Wembley Stadium London 13 July 1985 (Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo)