Tom Murphy's A WHISTLE IN THE DARK Will Return to the Abbey Theatre in October

One of Ireland's greatest playwrights, Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark will be staged on the Peacock stage this Autumn as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. A powerful portrayal of tribal violence and the devastation it brings in its wake, it remains Murphy's best known and most performed play to this day.

Settled in Coventry with his new wife Betty (Sarah Morris), Michael Carney (Peter Coonan) is attempting to lead a new life. But leaving Ireland couldn't set him free, and once the Carneys descend there's no way out.

Directed by Jason Byrne with Seán Mc Ginley in the role of Dada, this fiercely intense production of Tom Murphy's early masterpiece will be experienced up close on the intimate Peacock stage, giving the audience a front row seat in the Carneys' living room. Joining Seán Mc Ginley in this stellar cast is Peter Claffey as Iggy, Peter Coonan as Michael, Timmy Creed as Hugo, James Doherty O'Brien as Des, Brian Gleeson as Harry, Ruairí Heading as Mush and Sarah Morris as Betty.

"A Whistle in the Dark is a taut, explosive pressure cooker of a play and I want audiences to experience that intensity intimately." - Caitríona McLaughlin, Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre.

This will be the first production of a Tom Murphy play at the Abbey since the playwright's death in 2018. The "clenched fist of a play" - Financial Times - will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Tom Murphy was born in 1935 in Tuam, Co. Galway. He completed his first full-length play, which under the original title, The Iron Men, won a number of Irish national playwriting awards. In 1961 it was produced as A Whistle in the Dark at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London, one of the most momentous premieres in British Theatre in the 1960s. This production later transferred to the West End. Tom Murphy had a rich history at the Abbey Theatre with 2018 marking the 50th anniversary of his first production at the theatre- the seminal work Famine presented on the Peacock stage in 1968. Tom's deft ability to convey emotions of human interaction on stage has captured Abbey audiences from his first premiere to the present. There were 19 world premieres of Tom's original works and adaptations at the Abbey and Peacock stages.

Cast:

Iggy Carney: Peter Claffey
Michael Carney: Peter Coonan
Hugo Carney: Timmy Creed
Des Carney: James Doherty O'Brien
Harry Carney: Brian Gleeson
Mush: Ruairí Heading
Dada: Seán Mc Ginley
Betty: Sarah Morris

Creatives:

Director: Jason Byrne
Set Design: Cordelia Chisholm
Costume Design: Saileóg O'Halloran
Lighting Design: Dara Hoban
Sound Design and Composition: George Brennan
Fight Director: Ciaran O'Grady

 

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