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:

21 August 2012

The three plays making up the DruidMurphy focus on Irish emigration. In Conversations on a Homecoming we witness the return of Michael Ridge to his hometown in County Galway after a ten-year absence in America. Set in a bar where the only decorative adornment is a single picture of John F Kennedy - a nod to more hopeful times - Michael attempts to reconnect with his old drinking buddies.

Murphy paints a bleak picture of small-town Irish life, where gossip, stories and drinking are the staples of the day. Michael appears to have returned to reclaim some sense of identity, but leaving in the first place has forever separated him from the town and friends which were once so familiar.

The resentment is palpable. The need to find fault, to tear down and dismiss as failure his attempts to find a better life elsewhere is all that sustains those who have chosen to remain. Their jealousy of those whose courage allowed them to break free from parochial life is a constant remin...

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