Theatre’s power as an arena for storytelling meets the great Irish tradition of the bar room tale in Conor McPherson’s brilliant play about loss and the consolations of connection.
In a small rural pub in the west of Ireland, the regulars and their host fall into swapping ghost stories, the sort of local legends and anecdotes that over the years get stretched in the telling. It’s not their usual entertainment for a weeknight. They’re just showing off, throwing around a little blarney for the benefit of an attractive stranger in their midst. And Valerie, who has just moved from Dublin into town seems to be enjoying the stories. What’s the harm in it? Who could know how deeply these stories strike home and that the most powerful story is waiting to be told?
There’s nothing more revealing than the tales we choose to tell. Beautifully understated and emotionally elegant, McPherson’s multi-award winning play sees the reunion of Nadine Garner with Private Lives director Sam Strong.
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