THE classic John Millington Synge play that caused riots when it was first performed in 1907 has been reimagined here as a musical. The audience access the play being performed for a radio audience in a studio in the 1950’s.
Adapted by Diarmuid de Faoite and Justin McCarthy, this unique and critically acclaimed version of the classic ‘Playboy of the Western World’ is a staged version of the award-winning RTE Radio Musical.
Pure escapism and fun is how this adaption is described with a five piece band and two foley artists creating all the sound effects joining the cast to tell the story of Christy Mahon who arrives into Michael James Flaherty’s pub in County Mayo with a story to tell.
Creator Justin McCarthy told Limerick Post that the original radio play was so funny to watch being recorded for RTE that it was inevitable that the radio play would be recreated before a live audience.
“When you put a whole foley table in the middle of the stage – that made a lot of the theatricality very, very funny.
“It also makes something very interesting happen which is that as you are watching the play, you are watching a load of radio actors switch character from being professional actors to being characters in the play.
“There are two different narratives going on which absolutely compliment each other.”
This interpretation keeps most of the text of the play. Music ranges from country songs to rock and metal as the cast and the musicians and the foley artists interpret this funny and rebellious Synge play for their radio listeners live on stage.
The Playboy of the Western World -The Musical plays at Lime Tree Theatre on Thursday October 5.
