Faith Healer
Encyclopedia
Faith Healer is a play by Brian Friel
about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.
making up each part. The monologues are given, in order, by the faith healer
, Francis (Frank) Hardy himself; his wife, Grace; his cockney
manager, Teddy, and finally Hardy again.
The monologues tell the story of the faith healer himself, including an incident in a Welsh
village in which he cures ten people. Teddy's monologue reveals that Grace Hardy commits suicide, while Frank ponders whether his gift is for real or not. In Frank's second monologue, it is suggested that he is killed near his home after being unable to heal a cripple. He says that he knows he will not be able to heal him and, going to face death, he feels a sense of homecoming. It is not made explicitly clear however, that Frank is actually killed; Friel leaves this up to the reader's interpretation.
The fact that the play does not end definitively typifies a main point of the play; each character gives a different recollection of the same events throughout the page.
in a production by José Quintero
, with James Mason
, Clarissa Kaye
and Donal Donnelly
. It closed after twenty performances.
There was a radio production of the play on BBC Radio 3 in March 1980. The first production in Ireland was at the Abbey Theatre
in August 1980, in a production by Joe Dowling starring Donal McCann
, Kate Flynn and John Kavanagh. The first London production was at the Royal Court
in London in March 1981, directed by Christopher Fettes, with Patrick Magee
, Helen Mirren
and Stephen Lewis
.
It was revived in 1983 at the Vineyard Theatre
, directed by Dann Florek
, with J. T. Walsh
, Kathleen Chalfant and Martin Shakar.
Joe Dowling
returned to the play in 1994 at the Long Wharf Theatre
, his production again starring Donal McCann
, this time with Judy Geeson
and Ron Cook
. The New York Times called the production "incandescent" and recommended it to "any connoisseur of theater".http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E2DC1F31F935A15757C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
It was revived in London in 2001 by the Almeida Theatre, in a production by Jonathan Kent
. The cast consisted of Ken Stott
, Geraldine James
and Ian McDiarmid
. Ian McDiarmid won the 2001 Critics' Circle Best Actor Award for this role.
Jonathan Kent revived the play again for the Gate Theatre
in Dublin early in 2006, this time with Ralph Fiennes
, Ingrid Craigie and Ian McDiarmid
. This production opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre
on May 4, 2006, now with Cherry Jones
as Grace. On Broadway it received four Tony Award
nominations and won the Best Featured Actor in a Play
, Ian McDiarmid
.
The Gate Theatre revived the play again in 2009, presenting the play at the Sydney Festival
, as part of a trio of works being performed to honour the eightieth birthday of Friel.
The other works are The Yalta Game and Afterplay. This production played at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in January 2010. In 2009, it was also staged at the Unicorn Theatre as part of the Berkshire Theatre Festival
in Stockbridge Masachusetts.
In October 2009, Joe Dowling directed the play yet again at the Guthrie Theater
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This time Dowling also took on the lead role of Frank Hardy himself.
In February 2011, it was staged at Bristol Old Vic under the direction of Associate Director Simon Godwin
.
Brian Friel
Brian Friel is an Irish dramatist, author and director of the Field Day Theatre Company. He is considered to be the greatest living English-language dramatist, hailed by the English-speaking world as an "Irish Chekhov" and "the universally accented voice of Ireland"...
about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.
Synopsis
The play consists of four parts, with a monologueMonologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
making up each part. The monologues are given, in order, by the faith healer
Faith Healer
Faith Healer is a play by Brian Friel about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.-Synopsis:...
, Francis (Frank) Hardy himself; his wife, Grace; his cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
manager, Teddy, and finally Hardy again.
The monologues tell the story of the faith healer himself, including an incident in a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
village in which he cures ten people. Teddy's monologue reveals that Grace Hardy commits suicide, while Frank ponders whether his gift is for real or not. In Frank's second monologue, it is suggested that he is killed near his home after being unable to heal a cripple. He says that he knows he will not be able to heal him and, going to face death, he feels a sense of homecoming. It is not made explicitly clear however, that Frank is actually killed; Friel leaves this up to the reader's interpretation.
The fact that the play does not end definitively typifies a main point of the play; each character gives a different recollection of the same events throughout the page.
Production history
Faith Healer received its first performance in 1979 on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in a production by José Quintero
José Quintero
José Benjamin Quintero was a Panamanian theatre director, producer and pedagogue best known for his interpretations of the works of Eugene O'Neill.-Early years:...
, with James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
, Clarissa Kaye
Clarissa Kaye
Clarissa Kaye was an Australian stage, film and television actress. She was the second wife of British actor James Mason. After her marriage, she was often known as Clarissa Kaye-Mason.-Biography:...
and Donal Donnelly
Donal Donnelly
Donal Donnelly was an English-born Irish theatre and film actor. He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, but raised in Dublin, Ireland....
. It closed after twenty performances.
There was a radio production of the play on BBC Radio 3 in March 1980. The first production in Ireland was at the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
in August 1980, in a production by Joe Dowling starring Donal McCann
Donal McCann
Donal McCann was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, The Dead.-Early life:...
, Kate Flynn and John Kavanagh. The first London production was at the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in London in March 1981, directed by Christopher Fettes, with Patrick Magee
Patrick Magee
Patrick Magee may refer to:*Patrick Magee , Northern Irish stage and film actor*Patrick Magee , member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, convicted of planting a bomb in the Grand Hotel, Brighton in 1984...
, Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
and Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis (actor)
Stephen Lewis is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in the LWT Sitcom On the Buses, Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in the longest running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in BBC Television's Oh, Doctor Beeching!.-Career:Lewis began his...
.
It was revived in 1983 at the Vineyard Theatre
Vineyard Theatre
The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981...
, directed by Dann Florek
Dann Florek
Ezekial Dann Florek , professional name Dann Florek, is an American actor and director.-Early life:Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan. He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated...
, with J. T. Walsh
J. T. Walsh
James Thomas Patrick "J. T." Walsh was an American character actor. He appeared in many well-known films, including Nixon, Hoffa, A Few Good Men, Backdraft, Miracle on 34th Street, Breakdown, and Good Morning, Vietnam.Walsh was known for his roles as "quietly sinister white-collar sleazeballs"...
, Kathleen Chalfant and Martin Shakar.
Joe Dowling
Joe Dowling
Joe Dowling is the Artistic Director for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is also well-known for his work as Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre in Ireland, and has directed plays in all the major theatres in Ireland as well as theatres in London, New York, Washington...
returned to the play in 1994 at the Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared....
, his production again starring Donal McCann
Donal McCann
Donal McCann was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, The Dead.-Early life:...
, this time with Judy Geeson
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
and Ron Cook
Ron Cook
Ron Cook is an English actor who has been active in the theatre, film and television since the 1970s. He is from South Shields, Co Durham, England and is a graduate of Rose Bruford College.- Stage appearances :...
. The New York Times called the production "incandescent" and recommended it to "any connoisseur of theater".http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E2DC1F31F935A15757C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
It was revived in London in 2001 by the Almeida Theatre, in a production by Jonathan Kent
Jonathan Kent (director)
Jonathan Kent is an English theatre director and opera director. He is best known as a director/producer partner of Ian McDiarmid at the Almeida Theatre from 1990 to 2002.-Early life:...
. The cast consisted of Ken Stott
Ken Stott
Kenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott is a Scottish actor, particularly known in the United Kingdom for his many roles in television.-Early life:...
, Geraldine James
Geraldine James
Geraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
and Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish theatre actor and director, who has also made sporadic appearances on film and television.McDiarmid has had a successful career in theatre; he has been cast in many plays, while occasionally directing others and although he has appeared mostly in theatrical productions,...
. Ian McDiarmid won the 2001 Critics' Circle Best Actor Award for this role.
Jonathan Kent revived the play again for the Gate Theatre
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre, in Dublin, was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál Mac Liammóir, initially using the Abbey Theatre's Peacock studio theatre space to stage important works by European and American dramatists...
in Dublin early in 2006, this time with Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
, Ingrid Craigie and Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish theatre actor and director, who has also made sporadic appearances on film and television.McDiarmid has had a successful career in theatre; he has been cast in many plays, while occasionally directing others and although he has appeared mostly in theatrical productions,...
. This production opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre
Booth Theatre
The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York City.Architect Henry B. Herts designed the Booth and its companion Shubert Theatre as a back-to-back pair sharing a Venetian Renaissance-style façade...
on May 4, 2006, now with Cherry Jones
Cherry Jones
Cherry Jones is an American actress and recipient of the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series and the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.-Career:...
as Grace. On Broadway it received four Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations and won the Best Featured Actor in a Play
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. The award has been presented since 1949.-1950s:* 1951: Eli Wallach – The Rose Tattoo* 1952: John Cromwell – Point of No Return...
, Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish theatre actor and director, who has also made sporadic appearances on film and television.McDiarmid has had a successful career in theatre; he has been cast in many plays, while occasionally directing others and although he has appeared mostly in theatrical productions,...
.
The Gate Theatre revived the play again in 2009, presenting the play at the Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is Australia's largest and most attended annual cultural event running every January since it was first held in 1977. Its program features around 80 events including contemporary and classical music, dance, circus, drama, visual arts and artist talks...
, as part of a trio of works being performed to honour the eightieth birthday of Friel.
Brian Friel
Brian Friel is an Irish dramatist, author and director of the Field Day Theatre Company. He is considered to be the greatest living English-language dramatist, hailed by the English-speaking world as an "Irish Chekhov" and "the universally accented voice of Ireland"...
The other works are The Yalta Game and Afterplay. This production played at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in January 2010. In 2009, it was also staged at the Unicorn Theatre as part of the Berkshire Theatre Festival
Berkshire Theatre Festival
The Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating its 80th anniversary season in 2008.-History:...
in Stockbridge Masachusetts.
In October 2009, Joe Dowling directed the play yet again at the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This time Dowling also took on the lead role of Frank Hardy himself.
In February 2011, it was staged at Bristol Old Vic under the direction of Associate Director Simon Godwin
Simon Godwin
Simon Godwin is a British theatre director based in London where he is currently an Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre and Bristol Old Vic...
.
Sources
- Friel, Brian, Faith Healer. London, Faber, 1980.
- Billington, Michael, Faith Healer, review of production at the Almeida Theatre, The Guardian, 30 November 2001.
- Fricker, Karen, Faith Healer, review of production at the Gate Theatre, The Guardian, 9 February 2006.
- Brantley, Ben, Ralph Fiennes, Portraying the Gaunt Genius in 'Faith Healer, New York Times, 5 May 2006.