Gerry Doherty portrays John Hume in his later years while Niamh Morgan plays his wife Pat Hume
Entitled Beyond Belief, the musical is produced by the John and Pat Hume Foundation with The Playhouse Theatre in Derry.
The show will until Good Friday, April 7.
Director Kieran Griffiths said the production reflects the love between “two human beings who went out ahead of us all”.
Its opening comes ahead of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, during which Mr Hume played a key role as the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).
“They saw something that we couldn’t see,” Mr Griffiths told BBC Radio Foyle.
Devoted couple and peacemakers the late Pat and John Hume
Written by Damian Gorman with music by Brian O’Doherty, the sold-out run features a cast of 25 actors and 16 local children.
Mr Hume was widely admired for his commitment to peaceful, democratic politics during the Troubles in the North of Ireland.
He helped found the SDLP and, he played a major role in the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with UUP leader David Trimble.
Mr Griffiths said the story, while set against a politically charged and often violent backdrop, is a story “laced with love”.
“We’re not lamenting John and Pat. In this I choose to celebrate, to honour but there are atrocities in there.”
Art, he added, can be “used as a tool of healing and a place for the these amazing moments in our history to rest”.
“And for us to understand, for a community to enjoy together and to share,” he said.
A young John Hume is portrayed by actor Conor O’Kane who said the story tries to get to who John Hume “was behind closed doors”.
“We get to see a lot of vulnerability in this production, how he was affected not only by political events that were traumatic and heavy, but how much joy he had with his family and with Pat,” he continued.
Actor Conor O’Kane will play the young John Hume in new musical drama at the Guildhall
Gerry Doherty plays the politician in his later life.
“I would like to think people will walk away and have a different perspective on the Humes, on the trials and tribulations they had to go through to get us all to where we are today.
“I would like to think people will walk out and think ‘they were mighty fine people’.”
Actor Niamh Morgan, who portrays Pat Hume, said audiences can expect an emotionally charged production.
“The joy I feel walking her footsteps is unmatched,” she said.
“It is a heavy show, with moments of light and joy within it. The community of Derry are really going to grieve all over again for these two incredible people”.
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