Seen by many as John Millington Synge’s magnum opus, The Playboy of the Western World returns to the Irish stage on September 24th as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Much of the play is based on Synge’s travels around Ireland. His attempt to make the English language Irish through axiom suffered the blow of nationalists, who did not like his portrayal and theme. The reception was hostile.
This year marks the 112th anniversary of the play’s premiere, which was so controversial to its contemporaries that a riot ensued. Synge’s response to the occurrence was to write to the Irish Times: “There are, it may be hinted, several sides to the Playboy.” This is something that has been understood more and more in the years that followed 1907.
Interpretations of the Playboy have taken wild turns in the attempt to portray its facets. This latest adaption is the work of Oonagh Murphy. She is works with an exclusively female creative team for this production. Murphy’s adaption of the classic considers the political and economic advances that have been made since its debut.
This modernisation, with its eye on the past, looks at life on the margins of existence in the west coast of Co Mayo. Runaway playboy Christy Mahon arrives at the village, causing much upheaval in the minds of locals and capturing the attention of Pegeen, the barman’s daughter. Things go awry when things are not as they seem, and the past threatens to become present.
Set and costume designer Molly O’Cathain has updated the staging of the play to create a place that has been left behind by prosperity. This is executed as O’Cathain evokes an image of a charmless place situated on the edge of nowhere.
The play will run at the Gaiety for just over a week, and there will be matinee as well as evening performances. Tickets range from €11 to €46 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.
