New score for Manchester United

Theatre of Dreams: Manchester United star David Beckham scores a goal

LONDON, England -- Millions of soccer fans will have a new chant as they watch Manchester United play -- the chorus of the club's £2 million ($3 million) musical.

The story set to music will tell the story of the world's most famous football club's rise to glory under legendary manager Sir Matt Busby.

Producer Patrick Nally is convinced that The Theatre of Dreams will be an international hit from London to Tokyo as it goes on the road for next year's World Cup.

"This is a musical about a magical man and it is a magical story," he said.

First stop on April 9 will be Manchester for a charity concert performance with British tenor Russell Watson as Busby.

The singer said: "This was an opportunity just not to miss and to be given the lead role, playing Sir Matt Busby, is a great honour -- incredible."

Nally said: "We hope the musical will open in Manchester towards the end of the year prior to coming to London."

"We will be taking it to Asia. We will go to Japan and South Korea to coincide with the World Cup. There is strong interest in Scandinavia and the United States. I have even had a call from Poland which blew me away."

Coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who along with the Busby family has been closely consulted over the storyline, is to play himself in the premiere performance of the musical. A slice of its royalties are to go to cancer research.

A star-studded list of past captains have been invited for opening night -- along with superstars of today like David Beckham and his Spice Girl wife Victoria.

Busby Babes

Nally said the story of Busby, who died of cancer in 1994, was perfect for a musical: "He came in after the war to Old Trafford when it had been bombed and blitzed. He had no team, no stadium and no pitch.

"He created the Busby Babes and took them into European football. Then he had the enormous tragedy of the Munich disaster," he said.

Busby rebuilt the devastated club after the death of eight players in the 1958 air crash in Germany.

The lyrics for the show have been written by award-winning American dramatist David Bell who hopes to have instant singalong hits for the terraces with Up from the Ashes and Keep The Flags Flying Red.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton are currently enjoying success in London's West End theatreland with The Beautiful Game about young players battling sectarianism in Northern Ireland's darkest days of conflict.

But soccer can never guarantee a full house.

In 1998 Elton John's Glasses, a comedy about the Watford club owned by the pop star, lasted just one month on stage.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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