THE FIRST day of rehearsals in Galway kicked off on Monday morning at Druid Lane Theatre for the 11 cast members of Druid’s production of Big Maggie by John B Keane, directed by Garry Hynes.
Aisling O’Sullivan (Raw, The Clinic ), who plays the title role, John Olohan (The Tudors and Druid’s The Silver Tassie ) and Keith Duffy (Coronation Street, Boyzone ) lead a cast of 11 of Ireland’s finest actors in this much loved play by John B. Keane. Paul Connaughton, Nancy E. Carroll, Joan Sheehy, Sarah Greene, Amy Molloy, Charlie Murphy, Des Nealon, and Stephen Mullan complete the cast.
Set in 1960s rural Ireland, Big Maggie is a compelling portrait of a formidable woman who is determined to take control of her life. Maggie Polpin, widowed mother of four, is now ready to take power into her own hands… but at what cost? Money, land and secret sex make for a riveting story. Shocking for its time – the play premiered in 1969 – the portrait that Keane painted of the dark side of Irish family life seems now to be eerily prescient.
Following its opening run in the Town Hall (from November 11 – 19 ), the production embarks on a national tour. Big Maggie sees Druid continues its exploration of John B. Keane’s work, which began in 2002 with Sive, followed by Sharon’s Grave (2003 ) and The Year of the Hiker (2006 ).
