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Adrian
30th January 2008, 09:39 AM
Sometimes I read things only because they are referenced in a book written by what I call a "trusted" author. If he likes it enough to quote from it in his own book, then that's good enough for me. Ken Bruen did this in his Jack Taylor novels with Irish playwright John Millington Synge.

The Playboy of the Western World is centred round an Irish pub, probably a shebeen, and concerns the goings on of the neighbourhood. It's a nicely plotted play with the main characters being well introduced - each one comes on-stage at the right time (even though this is the book I'm talking about) such that I could keep track of who was who even when I had only their name to identify them.

I love it for its undiluted Irishness (though the two Irish people at work had never heard of him), and whilst I'd love to see it on stage, I wouldn't entertain a production outside of the West coast of Ireland, and that's probably too far for a night out.

Freydis
30th January 2008, 11:30 AM
The Playboy of the Western World is centred round an Irish pub, probably a shebeen, and concerns the goings on of the neighbourhood. It's a nicely plotted play with the main characters being well introduced - each one comes on-stage at the right time (even though this is the book I'm talking about) such that I could keep track of who was who even when I had only their name to identify them.

This is a great play, recalled from my undergrad theatre days, and the title character's unlikely celebrity (on a rather grim premise) is absurdly delightful. I need to reread it now - thanks for the nudge, Adrian.

Synge is a master of language and dialogue. If you like him, also check out Riders to the Sea - a compact little one-act tragedy set in a fishing village, that has a mythic quality to it.

Adrian
31st January 2008, 06:58 AM
Thanks for the recommendation, Freydis. I'll keep an eye out for Riders to the Sea.

nonsuch
31st January 2008, 02:15 PM
The Playboy was made into a delightful musical in the 1950s - it was called The Heart's a Wonder, after the heroine's speech declaring 'Cristy Mahon, the heart's a wonder.'