Inishmaan revival brings Irish cast to New York stage

Over a decade after its original London premiere, Martin McDonagh's dark comedy stage play The Cripple of Inishmaan comes to the U.S. after a recent tour in Britain and Dublin.

 


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The Atlantic Theater Company revival keeps its full Irish cast when it hits the Linda Gross Theater on Dec. 9 through Feb. 1. The story takes audiences to the Inishmaan - the middle Aran Island off the coast of Ireland - of 1934.

 The play's "Cripple" character, Billy Claven, sets his sights on being featured by Hollywood documentarians hoping to capture life on the Aran Islands.

 The play's narrative connects to the real life filming of the 1934's "Man of Aran," the Robert J. Flaherty production that portrayed native life - staged and unstaged.

 Claven is portrayed by Aaron Monaghan (pictured), with support from Kerry Condon as Slippy Helen.

 

Other cast members include Andrew Connolly, Dearbhla Molloy, Marie Mullen and Patricia O'Connell.

 The production is directed by Garry Hynes. Hynes is a co-founder of Druid Theater Company, which is co-producing this production.

 
McDonagh, whose recent film endeavors offered 2006 Academy Award-winning short "Six Shooter" and the Sundance Film Festival-premiered "In Bruges," penned two other stories following "Inishmaan" to complete what became the Aran Islands trilogy.

 

 Though the Irish playwright's third installment of the trilogy never saw the stage, the second - "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" - was given life, and it garnered a Tony Award for "Best Play" in 2006.
There's more from Andy Smith at The Irish World here

SYNOPSIS Set in 1934 on an island off the west coast of Ireland, Hollywood filmmaker Robert Flaherty arrives on the neighboring island of Inishmore to film his movie 'The Man of Aran' and excitement ripples through the sleepy community of Inishmaan. For orphaned Billy Craven, who has been relentlessly scorned by the island's inhabitants, the film represents an escape from the poverty of his existence. He vies for a part in the film, and to everyone's surprise, it is the cripple who gets his chance. Atlantic is thrilled to co-produce 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' with Druid, Galway, with whom we collaborated on 1998's Tony Award® winning production of 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane.' by MARTIN McDONAGH directed by GARRY HYNES A co-production with Druid, Galway with Kerry Condon, Andrew Connolly, Laurence Kinlan, Dearbhla Molloy, Aaron Monaghan, Marie Mullen, Patricia O'Connell, David Pearse, John C. Vennema Designed by Francis O'Connor Lighting Design by Davy Cunningham Sound Design by John Leonard Composer Colin Towns

To Buy Tickets in Person Ticket Central Box Office 416 W 42nd Street New York, NY 10036 Open Daily 12-8pm