FRESH FROM a hugely successful tour of the United States, Druid’s smash-hit staging of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan makes a welcome return to the Town Hall for three nights only.
The Cripple of Inishmaan is an uproarious black comedy set against the backdrop of the filming of the famous Robert Flaherty documentary Man of Aran. Set on 1930s Inis Meáin, the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew's arrival in neighbouring Inis Mór to make a documentary about life on the island.
‘Cripple’ Billy Claven, eager to escape the gossip, poverty, and boredom of Inis Meáin, vies for a part in the film, and to everyone’s amazement, he gets his chance. The Cripple of Inishmaan is a comic masterpiece which sees eccentric island characters trade stories to within an inch of their lives while a young man tries to make sense of who he is.
One reviewer noted that the play could easily have been titled ‘The Cripples of Inishmaan’ with Billy’s physical handicap being mirrored by the emotional crippledom of many of the other characters. It is a view that author Martin McDonagh has concurred with, noting that “in some ways Billy is the least crippled of them all”.
While the play has those trademark flashes of cruel humour recognisable from much of McDonagh’s other work, in Cripple it is notable that these are leavened by genuine instances of kindness as well.
Druid first staged the play, to great acclaim, in 2008. This current major tour spans 21 weeks and has seen the company perform in Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. After its Galway dates, the tour reaches its fitting finale with a performance on Inis Meáin itself which will be attended by President Mary McAleese.
Directed by Garry Hynes and featuring a top-notch cast, the production has won nine prestigious awards in Ireland, Britain, and the US, including the Joe A Callaly Award for Outstanding Direction and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble.
It has also been lavished with numerous rave reviews, with The Washington Post hailing it as “fiendishly funny” and The Backstage Review declaring that “Hynes and company have fashioned a richly entertaining rendition of a consummately crafted modern classic.”
Tadhg Murphy takes the title role of Cripple Billy, while the cast also features Liam Carney, Ingrid Craigie, Dearbhla Molloy, and Laurence Kinlan.
The Cripple of Inishmaan is at the Town Hall from Wednesday June 22 to Friday 24 at 8pm nightly. Tickets are available from the Town Hall on 091 - 569777 and www.tht.ie
