An Argentine musical for the250th anniversary of Guillermo Brown (2027)
A single year holds both the anniversary of the man and the anniversary of the bond between the two countries.
In the thick of the May Revolution, a ship sails toward the Battle of Martín García. At the helm, an Irishman who arrived on the Río de la Plata as a merchant is about to change the course of a nation. Mid-voyage, Liam hesitates. Marina appears: a presence connecting him to his origin, his identity, and what he cannot leave behind.
What decisions are we willing to make for the common good?
Like most creations, more than one individual is required — and a musical is no exception. It's probably impossible for it to be the work of a single mind. The creative team is made up of Juan José Marco (direction, choreography, original idea), Luis Longhi (book and lyrics), Juan Ignacio López (composer and musical director), and Liam Ó Faoláin, Phelan (original idea).
The story of Admiral William Brown is almost too incredible to capture in a book, let alone a musical. From day one, the creative team was unanimous: the focus had to be on the boy and the man, not the admiral.
With historical figures, something curious happens: the very admiration people feel for them and their achievements can turn them into legends cast in bronze. It comes from good intentions, but that same impulse to preserve the image ends up distorting the very human traits of who they really were.
LIAM — El Almirante Brown sets out to melt that statue down. To bring the audience closer to the person — and to the others around him, the people who helped him become who he was, and do what he did.
For many, "Admiral Brown" has always just been a name. I didn't know him either — until, a decade ago, my cousin Bernadette Ruddy told me about the connection between Foxford, the Irish town where he was born, and Argentina. The idea for this musical was born on a video call with her in August 2024, and by May 2025 it had become a letter to our creative team. That spark never stopped burning.
We're not trying to forge a new bronze statue — we're melting away years of effigy, to reconnect with the man behind the title. This story resonates with us because we need references of people who, in spite of fear and doubt, choose to act when something isn't right — carrying hope for a more just future for all.
Over two years of historical research and dramaturgical development.
January 2026, Buenos Aires: a 4-day lab with cast and live musicians, testing dramatic structure and stage language.
Embassy of Ireland, Senate of Argentina, Instituto Browniano, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Argentina in Ireland.
Confirming premiere venue and date, targeting March 2027.
+1,300,000 views and a community of over 7,200 followers on @liamelmusical, connecting Argentines in Ireland, descendants of Irish families in Argentina, and Irish people rediscovering this story.
LIAM — El Almirante Brown arrives in the one year that two anniversaries align: the 250th anniversary of William Brown's birth and the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Argentina. No matter the size of the contribution, a company and an individual are writing the same story together.
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