Coughlan is the brightest light in a slightly foggy production
Many works of Irish playwrights have long successful runs in London; classics from Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett appear season to season across the capital. A play that sparked a riot – one of the most controversial of its time – was John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World, which comes to The National Theatre in a production directed by Caitriona McLaughlin, writes Christopher Peacock.
The ‘playboy’ in question is Christy Mahon a runaway simpleton, played boyishly by Éanna Hardwicke, who turns up at a rough rural County Mayo pub and regales his story of patricide to an enthralled crowd. The landlady, Pegeen Mike, played by Nicola Coughlan, takes to his charm and keeps him housed and fed and running errands as a pot-boy. A romantic interest builds that, for Pegeen, is a more exciting option than her current fiancé Shawn Keogh. News spreads and excites all the women of the village who pay a visit the following day. Christy’s unintentional charm raises his status in the village to that of a celebrity until, that is, his story unravels with the appearance of his father.
The play is written in Hiberno-English that Synge picked up when staying in County Mayo and on the Aran Islands to give an authentic sound. This, to my English ears, took a while to get into. On top of keeping up with the language, the thick Western Irish brogue of some of the character actors, especially when playing drunk, meant that full concentration was needed to understand what was being said.
The choices made from the design team and director felt somewhat mixed. The blends of traditional costume with a more modern, but sparse, set design do not match up.
In terms of tone The Playboy of the Western World is a comedic satire, but much of McLaughlin’s direction was looking for drama and sadness when there were laughs to be had.
The performances were well pitched and many played for the laughs with success. Siobhan McSweeney leant in to the jealous plotting nature of Widow Quin to maximise the comedic potential of the role. The strongest performance, however, comes from Nicola Coughlan as Pegeen and this holds the show together.
For the National Theatre, the draw of having both Coughlan and McSweeney on stage will have the tickets selling out as both of their performances are a credit to their casting and, although there were great performances from other members of the cast, Coughlan is the brightest light in a slightly foggy production.
National Theatre until 28th February 2026.
Booking and full details: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-playboy-of-the-western-world/
