Brendan Coyle, Jolly Abraham & More to Star in THE WEIR at the Abbey Theatre

Rehearsals have begun for a major new production of Conor McPherson's acclaimed 1997 play, The Weir. Directed by Abbey Theatre Artistic Director, Caitríona McLaughlin, this production will be staged at The Abbey Theatre this winter. This new production of one of the great Irish plays will put storytelling at the heart of the Winter programme.
The production brings a stellar cast to the Abbey:

Downton Abbey's Brendan Coyle, who won an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Brendan the barman in the London premiere of the play in 1999, now returns playing the role of Jack.

Eastsiders' Jolly Abraham who was seen at the Abbey this year in An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Absent The Wrong by Carys D. Coburn.

Marty Rea fresh from his six-month stint as Manus in Brian Friel's Translations.

Love/Hate and Bad Sisters' Peter Coonan, who is currently performing as Michael in Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark on the Peacock stage.

Jimmy's Hall film adaptation and Rebellion's Sean Fox.

In a bar in rural Ireland, the landlord (Sean Fox) and three of his regulars, Finbar (Peter Coonan) Jack (Brendan Coyle), Jim (Marty Rea) share tales with one another, and with Valerie (Jolly Abraham), a young woman who has recently arrived from Dublin - their stories come with a supernatural slant. But when Valerie shares her own melancholic and ghostly story, something shifts inside the men and for a brief moment anything is possible.
Written by Olivier-winning and Tony-nominated writer Conor McPherson, currently an Abbey Theatre Senior Associate Writer, this play showcases Irish storytelling at its finest.

"I love the text of The Weir because I think it does what we fundamentally do as a culture, which is communicate through metaphor and story. It taps into our pagan history, and leans into some sort of supernatural force," Caitríona McLaughlin, Artistic Director of The Abbey Theatre. "This play gives us a moment to pause and reflect on ourselves, our cultural history, a connection with our ancestors and those that we have around us now."

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

Dates: 26 November 2022 - 14 January 2023
On the Abbey stage (no performances 24 - 27 December and 1 - 2 January)
Previews: 26, 28 - 29 November

Opening night: Wednesday 30 November
Tickets: €13 - €45
Times: Mon - Sat 7.30pm, Sat matinee 2pm

COMPANY

Brendan: Sean Fox
Finbar: Peter Coonan
Jack: Brendan Coyle
Jim: Marty Rea
Valerie: Jolly Abraham
Director: Caitríona McLaughlin

Writer: Conor McPherson
Set & Costume Design: Sarah Bacon
Lighting Design: Jane Cox
Composer & Musical Director: Tom Lane
Movement Director: Sue Mythen
Assistant Director: Claire O'Reilly
Hair, Makeup: Leonard Daly
Casting Director: Sarah Jones
Voice Director: Andrea Ainsworth

Photo credit: Ste Murray

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