Northern Ireland men in driving seat for Fast & Furious Live show

A Lamborghini and a submarine together in a high-octane, live stunt show can only mean one thing - Fast & Furious Live is set to roar into Belfast next month at the SSE Arena.

The live show transports fans straight into the world of the Fast & Furious movie franchise, recreating the most jaw-dropping moments in the films alongside a unique narrative and incredible stunts.

And, the cast includes two Northern Ireland driving aces - Chris Burns and Jonathon Irwin - who are “super excited” to be bringing this physics-defying stunt show to their home patch from Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6.

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Fast & Furious Live is roaring into Belfast as part of a global tour which was launched by Vin Diesel himself in London in January. The arena tour will career into 14 countries including Austria, Germany, Portugal and Italy.

Chris visited Belfast last week to “recce” the SSE Arena and explained that, in his creative driving team, the word “impossible” simply doesn’t exist.

“When we had the first meeting with the tour director and the producer and they mentioned incorporating the big submarine moment from the eighth movie into the live show, we were in shock,” laughed Chris.

“We literally left the meeting, walked around a corner and burst out laughing but then when we actually thought about it, we knew we had a massive pool of very talented people in all aspects of production, so the word ‘impossible’ does not exist for us.

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“The live show will appeal to fans of the movies and to people who have never seen a Fast & Furious film at all because of the incredible stunts we have incorporated into it.”

Originally from Belfast but now living in Co Fermanagh, Chris was destined to be a stunt driver.

“My mum and dad always said that my first word was ‘car’ so my life was set on that path from then,” he laughed.

One of the first people in the UK to be employed as a professional stunt driver, Chris played an integral role in the creation of the live show.

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”We have taken the biggest moments from the eight films and also added a new narrative to the show, using ground-breaking technology to transport the audience around the globe from Russia to dessert sands.

“The cutting edge technology means that the opening few minutes of the show set the bar really high and we keep it at fever pitch until the finale!”

One of those drivers who plays his part in whipping up that fever is Fintona man Jonathon Irwin, who was talent spotted for Fast & Furious Live while “drifting” - controlling a car while moving it sideways, for the uninitiated.

“It really is a fairytale story. I was working as a mechanic and doing part-time drifting when I was spotted by Fast & Furious and given the chance to show my driving skills.

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“There’s a bit of a showman in me so this show is just my scene as it still involves the precision driving skills I was using in drifting.

“My favourite part of fast & Furious Live is the Tokyo scene which involves drifting so I really didn’t want anyone else to do it, “ he laughed.

Audiences will feel the heat from flaming exhausts and marvel at vehicular acrobatics as scene after scene unfolds, enhanced by the most avanced digital projection technology imaginable.

Featuring several original cars from the films, as well as exact replicas of fan favourites, the show saw thousands of the world’s best stunt performers apply for the opportunity to join the production.

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Now also living in Fermanagh, Jonathon added: “Fast & Furious Live is not like anything you will ever have seen before.

“There are so many different layers to it and it will appeal to everyone - children, adults, families.

“We do a meet-and-greet after the show and it’s always the same, people come not knowing what to expect and leave astounded! We have performed this show all over the world but bringing it to home soil adds a real element to it, we are super excited about coming to Belfast.”

Tickets are on sale now from the SSE Arena Box Office. Telephone 02890 739074 or online www.ssearenabelfast.com