Theatre
Feature
All you need to know about The Ferryman
The Sam Mendes directed production has extended its run.
With news that The Ferryman is extending until the 6 January 2018 at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End here’s what you need to know.
What’s it all about?
Set in rural Derry in 1981, The Ferryman depicts the Carney farmhouse – a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead; but this year they will be interrupted by a visitor…
Who is behind it?
The cast and creative behind The Ferryman are powerhouses of the stage.
Jez Butterworth, whose plays include Jerusalem, Mojo and The River, previously collaborated with Sam Mendes on the scripts for Spectre and Skyfall from the Bond franchise.
Meanwhile, acclaimed actor, film director and screenwriter Paddy Considine – whose credits include Dead Man’s Shoes, A Room for Romeo Brass, The Girl with all the Gifts and Tyrannosaur – plays the part of Quinn Carney; Laura Donnelly (The River> stars in the role of Caitlin Carney and Genevieve O’Reilly (Star Wars) stars as Mary Carney. Tony Award winning Bríd Brennan also stars.
The cast also includes Fra Fee, Stuart Graham, Gerard Horan, Carla Langley, Des McAleer, Conor MacNeill, Rob Malone, Dearbhla Molloy, Eugene O’Hare and Niall Wright.
What have the press been saying?
The Ferryman is celebrating some seriously good reviews.
Complimenting both the story, settling, stage production and cast, The Guardian, in their five-star review, labels the play a “rich, serious, deeply involving play about the shadows of the past and the power of silent love.”
“Butterworth has done it again,” remarks The Telegraph. “Miss this and you’ve missed a marvel,” they conclude.
In their five-star review, The Independent says “it has the feel of unearthed, instant classic,” calling out the “superb” stage debut by Considine.
“Paddy Considine offers an astonishingly focused performance,” the Evening Standard agrees. “…it’s a triumphant show that fully justifies the hype — and even manages to debunk the old platitude that you should never work with animals or children,” they add, before concluding: “A feast of intricate storytelling, it’s absorbing, soulful and ultimately shattering.”
What does it look like?
What better way to answer that question that with some shots from the Royal Court Theatre production:
When and where can I catch it?
The Ferryman is open now at the Gielgud Theatre, running until the 6 January 2018. The theatre is located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.
Find tickets now through Ticketmaster.co.uk.