NT Live 2026 – The Playboy of the Western World
A live recording of the theatre production of John Millington Synge’s darkly comic play about a young man who walks into a pub and claims to have murdered his father, directed by Caitríona McLaughlin.
Instead of being condemned, Christy Mahon – the self-proclaimed murderer – becomes a local hero. Not only does he win the barmaid’s heart, but other women also try to seduce him. Christy manages to impress the villagers even further by winning a local race. But then, unexpectedly, a second man appears on the scene.
The Playboy Of The Western World is one of the most important works of the so-called Irish Literary Revival, a golden age in Irish literature spanning from the 1890s to the early years of the twentieth century. It was during this period that the Abbey Theatre in Dublin opened. When The Playboy Of The Western World premiered there in 1907, riots broke out. Opponents of the play – which appeared to be about patricide – regarded it as an immoral work and an insult to Ireland.
In this modern production of the play, we see, among others, Nicola Coughlan (known from Bridgerton) in the central role of Pegeen Mike, the sharp-tongued and fiery barmaid.
Written by M.V.