WIFE TO JAMES WHELAN to be Presented at Jermyn Street Theatre
The cast includes Darragh Feehely (Bill McGafferty), Clíona Flynn (Nan Bowers), Eavan Gaffney (Kate Moran), and more.
Jermyn Street Theatre in a co-production with the Mint Theater Company will present a rare revival of Wife to James Whelan by Teresa Deevy, directed by the Mint Theater Company’s Jonathan Bank. Tracing seven years in the life of James Whelan, Deevy’s play explores ambition, compromise, and the role of women in Ireland, as personal desire collides with social expectation. The production opens on 1 July, with previews from 25 June, and runs until 25 July 2026 at Jermyn Street Theatre.
The cast includes Darragh Feehely (Bill McGafferty), Clíona Flynn (Nan Bowers), Eavan Gaffney (Kate Moran), Molly Hanly (Nora Keane), Fiach Kunz (James Whelan), Patrick McBrearty (Tom Carey), David Rawle (Apollo Moran), and Benjamin Reilly (Tom McClinsey).
1937, a small Irish town. Nan Bowers and her friends are waiting to hear which local lad has won a life-changing job in Dublin. James Whelan shows up triumphant and ready to celebrate with his sweetheart, Nan, only to discover that she has plans of her own. Seven years later, James comes home, flush with success. His return will affect not only Nan but the whole town.
At the height of her career, Deevy’s work was abruptly sidelined when The Abbey Theatre rejected Wife to James Whelan amid the conservative backlash of the 1930s. Nearly a century later, Mint Theater Company’s revival restored this overlooked masterpiece to the stage, reintroducing Deevy as one of Ireland’s most compelling dramatic voices.
Creative team includes Director: Jonathan Bank; Set Designer: Neil Irish; Costume Designer: Anett Black; Lighting Designer: Chris McDonnell; Composer and Sound Designer: Jane Shaw; Casting Director: Sarah Jones CDG.
