The Seafarer (play)
Encyclopedia
The Seafarer is a 2006 play by Irish playwright Conor McPherson
. It is set on Christmas Eve
in Baldoyle
, a coastal suburb north of Dublin city. The play centers on James "Sharkey" Harkin, an alcoholic who has recently returned to live with his blind, aging brother, Richard Harkin. As Sharkey attempts to stay off the bottle during the holidays, he contends with the hard-drinking, irascible Richard and his own haunted conscience.
The name of the play links it to the Anglo-Saxon poem The Seafarer.
Nicky Giblin unexpectedly arrives with the mysterious Mr. Lockhart, a man of refined appearance. During a tête-à-tête, Lockhart reminds Sharky of their prior meeting which occurred twenty-five years to the day previously, when the pair were remanded together in the Bridewell Garda Barracks when Sharky had been arrested over the killing of a vagrant, Lawrence Joyce. During the period of their captivity Sharky had agreed to a game of cards in which he wagered his soul in a game of poker against Lockhart in a bid to gain his freedom. Sharky won the game and with it his freedom, but with the proviso that Lockhart would at some future date, have an opportunity to play him once again.
The play culminates with the poker game played between the five men, ostensibly a harmless game of cards, it is in fact a game for Sharky’s soul as Lockhart reveals himself, in a series of private disclosures to Sharky, to be a Mephistophelian entity. Sharky once again trumps his adversary when in the denouement Ivan reveals his winning hand of four aces which he had earlier mistaken for four fours due to his myopia.
McPherson’s dialogue is predominantly written in a working-class Dublin idiom but adopts a more self-conscious lyricism typical of the Irish theatre tradition during the Lockhart monologues.
. It received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Play, and Jim Norton won an Olivier for his performance. The Cottesloe cast was as follows
The Broadway
production opened December 6, 2007 at the Booth Theatre
and ran through March 30, 2008. The Broadway cast was as follows:
This production garnered multiple Tony Award
nominations in 2008, for Best Play, two for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Conleth Hill; Jim Norton), and Best Director of a Play (Conor McPherson). Jim Norton won the Tony for Featured Actor in a Play.
The play was first performed in Ireland
at the Abbey Theatre
in Dublin in May 2008. The Dublin cast was as follows:
The West Coast premiere directed by Jasson Minadakis runs November 13 - December 7, 2008 at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, CA. The cast is as follows:
The NJ regional premiere directed by Anders Cato runs November 18, 2008 - December 14, 2008 at George Street Playhouse
in New Brunswick, NJ.
The cast is as follows
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
in Chicago, IL, staged the Chicago premiere December 4, 2008 - February 22, 2009. It was directed by Randall Arney.
It featured ensemble members Francis Guinan, Tom Irwin, John Mahoney and Alan Wilder in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre.
Cast:
The play opened in Budapest
, Hungary
December 19, 2008 at Bárka
. Directed by Göttinger Pál, in a translation by Upor László.
Cast:
The play opened January 14, 2009 at The Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.
The Pacific Northwest premiere directed by Wilson Milam
opens March 4, 2009 at Seattle Repertory Theatre
in Seattle, WA with Scenic Designer Eugene Lee
and cast:
Conor McPherson
Conor McPherson is an Irish playwright and director.-Life and career:McPherson was born in Dublin, . He was educated at University College Dublin, McPherson began writing his first plays there as a member of UCD Dramsoc, the college's dramatic society, and went on to found Fly By Night Theatre...
. It is set on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
in Baldoyle
Baldoyle
Baldoyle is a small coastal area on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the part of the historic County Dublin now administered as Fingal.-Location and Access:...
, a coastal suburb north of Dublin city. The play centers on James "Sharkey" Harkin, an alcoholic who has recently returned to live with his blind, aging brother, Richard Harkin. As Sharkey attempts to stay off the bottle during the holidays, he contends with the hard-drinking, irascible Richard and his own haunted conscience.
The name of the play links it to the Anglo-Saxon poem The Seafarer.
Plot synopsis
Having recently been let go from his job chauffeuring a wealthy developer and his wife in Lahinch, Co. Clare, Sharky returns to Dublin to look after Richard. Tension between the brothers is evident from the start and exists mostly in Richard's constant sniping and excessive demands from his younger brother. A source of early conflict stems from Richard’s inviting Nicky Giblin—Sharky’s love rival—to join the men, along with Ivan, for a game of poker.Nicky Giblin unexpectedly arrives with the mysterious Mr. Lockhart, a man of refined appearance. During a tête-à-tête, Lockhart reminds Sharky of their prior meeting which occurred twenty-five years to the day previously, when the pair were remanded together in the Bridewell Garda Barracks when Sharky had been arrested over the killing of a vagrant, Lawrence Joyce. During the period of their captivity Sharky had agreed to a game of cards in which he wagered his soul in a game of poker against Lockhart in a bid to gain his freedom. Sharky won the game and with it his freedom, but with the proviso that Lockhart would at some future date, have an opportunity to play him once again.
The play culminates with the poker game played between the five men, ostensibly a harmless game of cards, it is in fact a game for Sharky’s soul as Lockhart reveals himself, in a series of private disclosures to Sharky, to be a Mephistophelian entity. Sharky once again trumps his adversary when in the denouement Ivan reveals his winning hand of four aces which he had earlier mistaken for four fours due to his myopia.
Style
Written broadly in a naturalistic style, The Seafarer also has magical realist qualities as evidenced by Lockhart’s insights into Sharky’s past and his monologues on the afterlife.McPherson’s dialogue is predominantly written in a working-class Dublin idiom but adopts a more self-conscious lyricism typical of the Irish theatre tradition during the Lockhart monologues.
Production history
The play was first performed in September 2006 at the Cottesloe auditorium of London's National TheatreRoyal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. It received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Play, and Jim Norton won an Olivier for his performance. The Cottesloe cast was as follows
- Mr Lockhart: Ron CookRon CookRon 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 :...
- Ivan Curry: Conleth HillConleth HillConleth Hill is a Northern Irish film, stage and television actor.Born in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Hill made his Broadway debut in Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets....
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: Karl JohnsonKarl JohnsonKarl Johnson is a Welsh actor, notable for acting on stage, film and television. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University. His most notable role to date was the title role in Derek Jarman's 1993 film Wittgenstein...
- Nicky Giblin: Michael McElhattonMichael McElhattonMichael McElhatton is an Irish actor and writer.-Selected filmography:* A Tiger's Tail* Spin the Bottle* Intermission* The Actors* Blow Dry* Saltwater* Crushproof* I Went Down* Perrier's Bounty-Selected Stage Career:...
- Richard Harkin: Jim NortonJim Norton (actor)Jim Norton is an Irish character actor.-Performances:Jim Norton has been acting for over forty years in theatre, television, and movies, and frequently plays clergymen, most notably Bishop Brennan in the sitcom Father Ted, as well as in The Sweeney , Peak Practice , Sunset Heights , A Love Divided...
- Director: Conor McPhersonConor McPhersonConor McPherson is an Irish playwright and director.-Life and career:McPherson was born in Dublin, . He was educated at University College Dublin, McPherson began writing his first plays there as a member of UCD Dramsoc, the college's dramatic society, and went on to found Fly By Night Theatre...
- Designer: Rae Smith
- Lighting Designer: Neil Austin
- Sound Designer: Mathew Smethurst-Evans
The Broadway
Broadway 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...
production opened December 6, 2007 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...
and ran through March 30, 2008. The Broadway cast was as follows:
- Mr Lockhart: Ciarán HindsCiarán HindsCiarán Hinds is an Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built up a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. His television roles include...
- Ivan Curry: Conleth HillConleth HillConleth Hill is a Northern Irish film, stage and television actor.Born in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Hill made his Broadway debut in Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets....
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: David MorseDavid Morse (actor)David Bowditch Morse is an American stage, television, and film actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack Morrison in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988...
- Nicky Giblin: Sean Mahon
- Richard Harkin: Jim NortonJim Norton (actor)Jim Norton is an Irish character actor.-Performances:Jim Norton has been acting for over forty years in theatre, television, and movies, and frequently plays clergymen, most notably Bishop Brennan in the sitcom Father Ted, as well as in The Sweeney , Peak Practice , Sunset Heights , A Love Divided...
- Director: Conor McPhersonConor McPhersonConor McPherson is an Irish playwright and director.-Life and career:McPherson was born in Dublin, . He was educated at University College Dublin, McPherson began writing his first plays there as a member of UCD Dramsoc, the college's dramatic society, and went on to found Fly By Night Theatre...
- Designer: Rae Smith
- Lighting Designer: Neil Austin
- Sound Designer: Mathew Smethurst-Evans
This production garnered multiple 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 in 2008, for Best Play, two for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Conleth Hill; Jim Norton), and Best Director of a Play (Conor McPherson). Jim Norton won the Tony for Featured Actor in a Play.
The play was first performed in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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 Dublin in May 2008. The Dublin cast was as follows:
- Mr Lockhart: George CostiganGeorge Costigan-Early life:Costigan was born in Portsmouth and grew up in Irlams o' th' Height and Weaste in Salford. He attended St. Augustine's C of E Primary School on Bolton Road in Pendlebury, then Wardley Grammar School on Mardale Avenue in Wardley near Swinton.-Career:...
- Ivan Curry: Don WycherleyDon WycherleyDon Wycherley is an Irish actor who is well known for the portrayal of Father Cyril McDuff in the comedy Father Ted. Don is the brother of Gordon Wycherley. Other roles include Raymond in Bachelors Walk and Fr...
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: Liam Carney
- Nicky Giblin: Phelim DrewPhelim DrewPhelim Drew is an Irish actor.Phelim Drew is the son of the Irish folk singer Ronnie Drew, one of the founders of The Dubliners. He graduated at Gaiety School of Acting. In 1989 Phelim Drew gave his debut as an actor in My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown.Phelim Drew ist married to Actress...
- Richard Harkin: Maelíosa Stafford
The West Coast premiere directed by Jasson Minadakis runs November 13 - December 7, 2008 at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, CA. The cast is as follows:
- Mr. Lockhart: Robert Sicular
- Ivan Curry: Andrew Hurteau
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: Andy Murray
- Nicky Giblin: John Flanagan
- Richard Harkin: Julian Lopez-Morillas
The NJ regional premiere directed by Anders Cato runs November 18, 2008 - December 14, 2008 at George Street Playhouse
George Street Playhouse
George Street Playhouse is a theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, one of the state's preeminent professional theatres committed to the production of new and established plays....
in New Brunswick, NJ.
The cast is as follows
- Mr Lockhart: Robert CuccioliRobert CuccioliRobert Cuccioli is an American actor and singer born in Hempstead, New York. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical Jekyll and Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk...
- Ivan Curry: William Hill
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: David Adkins
- Nicky Giblin: Matthew Boston
- Richard Harkin: David SchrammDavid Schramm (Actor)David Schramm is an American actor. He is best known for playing Roy Biggins, the portly, curmudgeonly rival airline owner in the TV series Wings. He portrayed J.J. Peachum in the Westchester production of The Threepenny Opera and starred as Mr. Mister in the John Houseman directed revival of The...
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Tony Award-winning Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry in the basement of a church in Highland Park, Illinois. It has since relocated to Chicago's Halsted Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Its name comes from...
in Chicago, IL, staged the Chicago premiere December 4, 2008 - February 22, 2009. It was directed by Randall Arney.
It featured ensemble members Francis Guinan, Tom Irwin, John Mahoney and Alan Wilder in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre.
Cast:
- Mr Lockhart: Tom IrwinTom Irwin (actor)Tom Irwin is an American film, television, and stage actor.-Biography:Born in Peoria, Illinois, Irwin graduated from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. He was a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre after college, along with Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Joan Allen, and Gary...
- Ivan Curry: Alan Wilder
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: Francis GuinanFrancis GuinanFrancis V. Guinan, Jr. is an American film, television and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Edgar Teller the patriarch in the short-lived NBC series Eerie, Indiana....
- Nicky Giblin: Randall Newsome
- Richard Harkin: John MahoneyJohn MahoneyJohn Mahoney is a British born American actor, known for playing Martin "Marty" Crane, the retired police officer, father of Kelsey Grammer's Dr...
The play opened in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
December 19, 2008 at Bárka
Barka
Barka is a coastal town in the region Al Bāţinah, in northern Oman. It is located at about . The town is emerging as a tourist resort. It has an interesting fort....
. Directed by Göttinger Pál, in a translation by Upor László.
Cast:
- Mr Lockhart: Kálid Artúr
- Ivan Curry: Gados Béla
- James "Sharky" Harkin: Ilyés Róbert
- Nicky Giblin: Dévai Balázs
- Richard Harkin: Mucsi Zoltán
The play opened January 14, 2009 at The Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.
The Pacific Northwest premiere directed by Wilson Milam
Wilson Milam
Wilson Milam is an American theatre director from Bellevue, Washington. He is a founding member and Artistic Director of The Hired Gun Theatre Company....
opens March 4, 2009 at Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle Repertory Theatre is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore...
in Seattle, WA with Scenic Designer Eugene Lee
Eugene Lee
Eugene Lee may refer to:* Eugene Gordon Lee , U.S. child actor* Eugene Lee , U.S. radio deejay, actor, and cable television host* Eugene Lee , Tony-Award winning designer*Eugene Lee -See also:...
and cast:
- Mr Lockhart: Frank Corrado
- Ivan Curry: Russell Hodgkinson
- James 'Sharky' Harkin: Hans Altwies
- Nicky Giblin: Shawn Telford
- Richard Harkin: Sean G. Griffin