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The Playboy of the Western World

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 3 Published: 18 Dec 2025 National Theatre Show Dates: 17 Nov 2025-28 Nov 2025

In 1907, when J M Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World opened in Dublin, protests took place during the performance at the Abbey Theatre and riots ensued in the streets.

While the sound and richness of the language is a joy, much of it is unintelligible to the English ear.

Each generation has its sensitivities and Synge clearly touched a nerve with this work, although today it is hard to imagine what all the fuss was about. Set in County Mayo, it was branded as unpatriotic, an affront to morality and demeaning to the people of western Ireland, in particular the women of the region. The theme of patricide was also unpalatable. However, it went on to achieve esteemed status in the Irish Literary Revival and influenced successive generations of writers.

The plot is minimal. Christy Mahon (Éanna Hardwicke) stumbles into Flaherty’s tavern and announces that he has just killed his father by hitting him over the head with a loy. For reasons that are not clear, the reaction of the locals is the opposite of what might be expected. The eponymous landlord (Lorcan Cranitch) commends Christy for his deed, while his barmaid daughter Pegeen (Nicola Coughlan) falls in love with him, much to the annoyance of her suitor, Shawn Keogh (Marty Rea), and the envy of other women who flaunt themselves at him.

At the behest of Keogh, Widow Quin (Siobhán McSweeney) tries unsuccessfully to seduce him. When Christy’s father, Mahon (Declan Conlon), turns up at the tavern, having only been injured, the locals turn on Christy, who attacks his father again in order to regain the love of Pegeen. But this time, believing him to be dead, the villagers unite to hang him. He is saved by his father’s reappearance (again). They become reconciled and leave to wander the world. Keogh seizes the moment to suggest that he marry Pegeen, but she spurns him. In her final wailing lament she exclaims: “I’ve lost the only playboy of the western world.”

‘Willing suspension of disbelief’ comes to mind for most of the story, but the play’s strength lies in its telling. In the best Irish tradition many a yarn is spun and vivid imagery conjured up, along with a good measure of humour, all delivered by a mostly authentic Irish cast that gives impressive performances under the direction of Caitríona McLaughlin, on an expansive set by Katie Davenport, sensitively lit in hues that match the time of day and weather conditions by James Farncombe.

There is a big issue, however. A number of empty seats after the interval probably reflected the linguistic difficulty with this production, which is true to Synge’s Hiberno-English, heavily influenced by the Irish language. While the sound and richness of the language is a joy, much of it is unintelligible to the English ear and to people from other countries.

That said, it is still a worthwhile experience to see this Irish classic so well delivered.

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The Blurb:

At the edge of the earth, you could be anyone

Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when, on a normal day, a young man walks into her pub claiming that he’s killed his father.

Instead of being shunned, the killer Christy Mahon becomes a local hero. The welcome murderer wins hearts and races as he beds himself into village life. That is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene…

Caitríona McLaughlin (Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin) directs Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton), Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls) in John Millington Synge’s riveting story of youth and self-discovery.