Ballad Lines

For fans of ‘Hadestown’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and ‘Once’ — discover ‘Ballad Lines’, the soaring new folk musical London’s talking about.

Ballad Lines is a heart-opening musical about the stories we inherit — and the choices each generation makes to break, reshape, or carry them forward.

A forgotten melody pulls Sarah, a queer woman in New York, into the lives of the women who came before her: Cait, her 17th-century Scottish ancestor, and Jean, a spirited Irish teenager a century later. Across three centuries, they face the same defining question: what does it mean to become a mother — and at what cost?

Blending Scottish, Irish and Appalachian ballads with a bold contemporary score, Ballad Lines weaves one family’s hopes, sacrifices and songs across generations.

From award-winning songwriter Finn Anderson (‘Islander’ (Southwark Playhouse Borough, Off Broadway), ‘Streets’) and acclaimed director Tania Azevedo (‘Mayflies’, ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’), this is a musical for anyone who has ever wondered where they come from — and what they choose to pass on.

Co-produced with Wolk Transfer Company and TRW Production. An earlier version of Ballad Lines (previously ‘A Mother’s Song’) was first produced at Macrobert Arts Centre in 2023 by KT Producing and Macrobert Arts Centre.

★★★★ “Heartbreaking, full-throated folk music for the ages” The Guardian
★★★★ “One of the most exciting new musicals to hit the stage in some time” Broadway World
★★★★ “Heartwarming, poignant and deeply human” WhatsOnStage
★★★★★ “Powerful ballads, a phenomenal cast, and a story that is at the heart of our modern society” Theatre and Tonic

★★★★★ Beyond The Curtain | ★★★★★ Theatre and Tonic | ★★★★★ Ovation Radio | ★★★★★ Notes from Row H | ★★★★★ The Recs | ★★★★★ Curtain Call Critiques | ★★★★ The Guardian | ★★★★ WhatsOnStage | ★★★★ Broadway World | ★★★★ All That Dazzles | ★★★★ Theatre Weekly | ★★★★ Mickey Jo Theatre | ★★★★ Lou Reviews | ★★★★ A Spy in the Stalls | ★★★★ The Reviews Hub | ★★★★ London Box Office | ★★★★ Gay Times | ★★★★ London Living Large | ★★★★ The Arts Desk

Monday 2 February – Q&A with the Creative Team.

Thursday 12 February – Q&A hosted by Terri Paddock.
Panellists to be announced shortly.