Director
Garry Hynes
Design
Francis O'Connor
Lighting
Davy Cunningham
Sound
John Leonard
Music
Sam Jackson
Costume
Kathy Strachan
Performers
Aaron Monaghan
Derbhle Crotty
Andrew Bennett
Clare Dunne
Andy Kellegher
Aidan Kelly
Marcus Lamb
Christiane O'Mahony
John Olohan
Gemma Reeves
Seona Tully
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The Playboy
of The Western World
by J.M. Synge
Richmond Theatre
19 May - 23 May 2009
Ragged, urchin-like Christy Mahon stumbles into at a shabby, sawdust-strewn pub in a tiny village somewhere on the coast of Ireland. He tells a story of how he split his father in two from skull to gullet with a shovel, killing him instantly. Hailed as a hero by the pub owner, all the village girls flock to this dangerous but courageous man, including the Widow Quinn – herself a man-killer and schemer – and Margaret “Pegeen Mike” Flaherty, the landlord’s daughter who is engaged to a wimp of a man, Shawn Keogh. “Christy” is convinced by all the attention that he must indeed be God’s gift, and willingly adopts the Playboy mantle that is thrust upon him. He really only has eyes for Pegeen though, despite Widow Quinn’s best efforts to woo him away. All looks rosy, and no one seems to mind that Christy is a step away from the gallows for committing a heinous act of patricide. Until...
Clare Dunne is the fiery, feisty Pegeen Mike at the core of this vivid production by the Druid Theatre of Galway. Fresh out of drama school, Dunne is perfectly cast in the role of Christy’s chief worshipper, leading to her eventual disillusionment and grief. Her rapidly changing moods go from furious to lovestruck, bossy to gently indulgent. The Playboy himself (played by the diminutive Aaron Monaghan), while at times hard to follow due to the cracking pace of delivery and deep Irish accent, is always poetically eloquent, belying his apparent humble background and idle disposition.
Full of comically drawn characters, it’s hard to imagine this classic play achieving a more adept casting than in this production directed by Druid’s Artistic Director, Garry Hynes. Marcus Lamb is Shawn, who cowers before his upstart rival for Pegeen Mike’s affections, despite towering over him, beanpole-like. The smaller parts are equally well fleshed out, the actors using their physical and character differences to great effect.
Despite the far-fetched twists and hilariously well-played action scenes, the play has dark undertones of sadness, loneliness and sympathy for the less fortunate. A masterpiece of storytelling, it deserves the large and enthusiastic audiences that the opening night at the Richmond Theatre indicates. It’s currently on tour in the UK and Ireland until 18 June 2009.
Chris Brody
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