THIN LIZZY Musical Producers - "Casting Philip Lynott Is An Almost Impossible Task - He Was So Unique"

The creative duo behind a new musical which tells the story of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott say casting their lead man is an “impossible task” due to the uniqueness of his character, reports The Irish Post.

John and Danielle Merrigan are currently working on Moonlight - The Philip Lynott Enigma, which is the third in a trilogy of plays they have produced about remarkable Irish poets who have died young.

Based in Chichester, the pair have been working on the project for some time, with meetings and casting taking place in London and in Dublin, which was Lynott’s home.

The singer and bass drummer, who hailed from a working-class family in 1950's Dublin, overcame the odds to become one of Ireland's most revered musicians. He was born in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, but left England for Ireland as young boy.

Lynott died from heart failure in 1986 at the age of 36, after years battling alcohol and drug addiction. In Moonlight the Merrigans aim to tell his story “as honestly and beautifully” as possible.

Read what John Merrigan told the Irish Post about their project so far, here.