The spellbinding, beautifully observed hit from the master of suspenseful realism.
A bar in a remote part of Ireland. The local lads are swapping spooky stories to impress a young woman recently moved to the area from Dublin. As the drink flows and the stories become increasingly frightening, it's clear that Valerie has something on her mind. She has a tale to tell that'll stop them all dead in their tracks.
Conor McPherson's play The Weir combines superbly chilling tales of the supernatural with the hilarious banter of a small community in the heart of rural Ireland.
The Weir was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs at the Ambassadors Theatre on West Street, London, in July 1997. It transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in February 1998, where it played for two years.
The play went on to win the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1999. McPherson also won the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for Most Promising Playwright.
The Weir has since been performed very widely, including on Broadway in 1999. It received a major West End revival at the Donmar Warehouse in 2013, and transferred to the West End once again. It was voted one of the hundred most significant plays of the twentieth century in a poll conducted by the National Theatre in 2000.
About the Author :
Conor McPherson is an award-winning Irish playwright. Educated at University College Dublin, he went on to found the Fly by Night Theatre Company, which produced several of his early plays. His best-known works include The Weir (Royal Court, winner of the 1999 Olivier Award for Best New Play), Dublin Carol (Altantic Theater Company, New York) and The Seafarer (National Theatre, also director). He has also written for film.
Review :
'A modern masterpiece. It's unnerving, moving, richly funny, richly human... The Weir casts an extraordinary spell'
'The play of the decade'
'I am convinced that this is the best new play I've seen in years'
'There is a depth in the characterisation... that puts one in mind of an Irish Chekhov. I have rarely been so convinced that I have just seen a modern classic'
'A beautifully crafted and compassionate piece, dealing with love, loss and loneliness. It works because one believes so intensely in the characters that one shares the experiences they talk of, because it contains at its heart a shattering event and because it demonstrates the healing potential of storytelling... a fine piece of writing'
'Endlessly rewarding... McPherson's play is built to last'
'A classic example of a play where nothing really seems to happen, but then you realise you've seen pretty much all of life pass by... McPherson builds a portrait of people whose seemingly mundane lives are deeply rooted in the landscape and history of where they live... The supernatural lives alongside the day-to-day. The play's rolling rhythm beautifully evokes an atmosphere of loss and regret like a low throb beneath the crotchety camaraderie that also defines these men who have forged connections across a bar... quietly, humanly, devastating'
