‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’ – a brilliant comedy by Martin McDonagh – is the play you’ve been waiting for! All at once hilarious, hard-hitting and deeply moving, it tells the gripping story of Billy, a crippled teenager, with seemingly impossible dreams; his doting, doolally ‘aunties’, Kate and Eileen; the professional gossip and chancer, Johnny; Billy’s fellow-teens, the child-like Bartley and Bartley’s sister, the tomboy toughie, Helen; the brooding, violent boatman, Bobby; Johnny’s ‘Mammy’ trying to drink herself dead for sixty five years and McSharry, the local G.P. who can’t do anything for any of them!
This is a modern play - it was first performed at the Royal National Theatre in 1996 and has recently returned from a triumphant trip to America. It has won nine major international awards for The Druid and Atlantic Theatre co-production. Martin McDonagh sets it in the rough, tough Aran Islands of the thirties and links it to the equally rough, tough world stage via Robert Flaherty’s documentary, ‘The Man of Aran’.McDonagh, an Englishman of Irish parentage, pokes fun at the Irish of that place and time, at their behaviour and language or, more accurately, at his own concept of these. For the quirky language his character speak is, of course, partly of McDonagh’s own invention – as is their quirky behaviour – though all the more comical for that! In particular – and very ironically, therefore – he makes fun of their preoccupation with their image abroad – ‘Ireland mustn’t be such a bad place so, if the sharks want to come to Ireland’
Decidedly un-comical and not of his invention is the suffering of the neglected and the abused In Billy’s words: “There are plenty around here just as crippled as me, only it isn’t on the outside it shows”.
‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’, directed by Finbar Hannon, features a highly talented cast, including some new exciting talent. It runs from Monday May 14th to Saturday 19th (incl). Doors open at 7.30pm for 8.00pm. Admission: €12.00. Over 15’s. Booking: Cree’s Card Shop Tel. No. 024 93899.
This is a powerful, beautiful and very funny play.
Don’t miss it!