The Gaiety has a long history of staging the best in Irish theatre, and now in an exciting new venture – it’s branching out to produce the best in Irish theatre too.
Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan is set on the small Aran Islands community of Inishmaan (Inis Meáin) off the Western Coast of Ireland in 1934, where the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew’s arrival in neighbouring Inishmore (Inis Mór) to make a documentary about life on the islands.
Eager to escape the gossip, poverty and boredom of Inishmaan, “Cripple” Billy Claven vies for a part in the film, and to everyone’s surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his chance…. or so some believe.
The Cripple of Inishmaan is directed by Andrew Flynn – who recently directed the hugely successful production of McDonagh’s A Skull in Connemara, and has a long association with his work including The Pillowman presented at the Gaiety in 2017.
Plenty of well-known faces stepped out for the opening night, including Pat Kenny and his wife Kathy, Joe Duffy, Rory Cowan, Michele McGrath, Baz Ashmawy, and Morah and Elliot Ryan.
The production’s exciting creative team includes Owen MacCarthaigh (Set Design), Sinead Cuthbert (Costume Design), Ciaran Bagnall (Lighting Design) and Carl Kennedy (Sound Design).
The cast includes Catherine Walsh as Kate, Norma Sheahan as Eileen, Phelim Drew as Johnnypatteenmike, Ruairi Heading as Cripple Billy, Ian O’Reilly as Bartley, Jamie Lee O’Donnell as Slippy Helen, Sean Fox as Babbybobby, John Olohan as Doctor, and Rosaleen Linehan as Mammy.
Performances open January 29 for a limited season. For more information, check out gaietytheatre.ie.
