DruidMurphy - Conversations on a Homecoming/A Whistle in the Dark/Famine

Synopsis

Part of the London 2012 Festival - the finale of the Cultural Olympiad - DruidMurphy is an epic tale of Irish emigration spanning 1846 - 1980. Told over three plays, experienced over three evenings or in an entire cycle on one day, DruidMurphy promises to be one of the theatrical events of 2012. Crossing oceans and spanning decades this sweeping trilogy, with a company of 17 actors, is directed by Garry Hynes, described by the New York Times as "probably the foremost interpreter of Irish drama in the world today".

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 25 June 2012

The nine-hour triptych of Tom Murphy plays that comprise DruidMurphy – Conversations on a Homecoming (1985), A Whistle in the Dark (1961) and Famine (1968) – are about the Irish experience of emigration and home-coming, from the potato famine to the 'new' prosperity of the 1970s.

And they prove a high-five Hibernian highlight of the year so far, a fantastic tear-sodden blast of the very best in Irish theatre. Garry Hynes leads her Galway-based Druid company in triumph and despair, twin impostors of the Celtic dream and nightmare.

Tom Murphy is a leading theatrical and literary figure of our time, and as great a dramatist as Brian Friel, something they know in Dublin and Galway, but not necessarily in London where, ironically, his first big success, A Whistle in the Dark, was premiered.

That play, a violent domestic tragedy of a set of Mayo 'iron men' descending on Coventry in Warwickshire i...

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Latest User Review

A. Van der Helm - 9 October 2012:

We were in Dublin for the theaterfestival and we had a really unforgettable experience with DruidMurphy. We were fascinated and it is true...hard to imagine it could be improved from this very high level of acting....

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