Playboy of the Western World

by J. M. Synge, John Millington Synge

Overview

There was rioting in the streets when this play was first performed in 1907, and audiences today still find it riotously funny. The action takes place in a wayside pub near a village in County Mayo in Western Ireland. Christopher Mahon becomes a local hero when he announces to the crowd that he's killed his father.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780853424062
Publisher:	Mercier Press, Limited, The
Publication date:	12/31/1990
Pages:	95
Product dimensions:	4.36(w) x 7.09(h) x 0.33(d)

Editorial Reviews

This award-winning audio producer's latest effort reprises the critically acclaimed Pacific Resident Theatre's full-cast production of Synge's Irish comedic classic, starring Orson Bean, Alexander Enberg, and Jacqueline Heinze. The author's 1907 wickedly satiric masterpiece is a trenchant attack on the acceptance of appearances in a small Irish village. Christy Mahon turns up at the home of Michael Flaherty and his daughter, Peegen Mike, and is accepted by the town as a hero following his boastful story of murdering his tyrannical father. The town, especially the women, is seduced by Christy but ultimately turns savagely against him when his "slain" father appears looking for his son. The language is beautifully poetic and lush while being firmly grounded in the colloquial idioms and dialect of rural Ireland. The cast is, without exception, outstanding, and Bean is a delight. The technical quality is consistent with L.A. Theatre Works' high standards of professional excellence. A real gem.--Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

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