''The Ferryman'' is a 2017 play by

Jez Butterworth Jeremy "Jez" Butterworth (born March 1969) is an English playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He has written screenplays in collaboration with his brothers, John-Henry Butterworth, John-Henry and Tom. Life and career In March 1969, But ...

. Set during

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

, it tells the story of the family of a former

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

activist, living in their farmhouse in rural

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

in 1981.

Productions

''The Ferryman'' had its world premiere at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

on 24 April 2017 running to 20 May, directed by

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...

. It was the fastest-selling play in

history. The cast included

Paddy Considine Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker/director Shane Meadows. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard Britis ...

Laura Donnelly Laura Donnelly (born 24 June 1982) is a Northern Irish actress. She is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. On television, she is known for her roles in the Starz series '' Outlander'' (2014–201 ...

(the disappearance of her real-life uncle, Eugene Simons, was the inspiration for Butterworth's plot),

Genevieve O'Reilly Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish actress. She is known for her work in the ''Star Wars'' franchise as Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in ''Revenge of the Sith'', ''Rogue One'', and the Disney+ series '' Andor'', ...

Bríd Brennan Bríd Brennan (born 1955) is a Northern Irish actress who is known for her theatre work. She originated the role of Agnes in the Brian Friel play ''Dancing at Lughnasa'', for which she won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. ...

Fra Fee Francis Martin "Fra" Fee (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish actor and singer. He is known for portraying Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of ''Les Misérables''. He portrayed the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's ''The Ferryman ...

, John Hodgkinson,

Stuart Graham Leslie Stuart Graham (born 9 January 1942) is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Saloon car racing specialist. He is the son of the 1949 500cc world champion, Leslie Graham. Graham started racing in 1961 on a 125 cc ...

Gerard Horan Gerard James Pertwee Horan (born 11 November 1962) is an British actor. He is known for playing Firefighter Leslie "Charisma" Appleby in '' London's Burning'' from 1986 to 1989 and again in 1994. Partial filmography * ''My Beautiful Laundrette ...

, Carla Langley, Des McAleer,

Conor MacNeill Conor MacNeill (born 4 July 1988) is a film, television, and stage actor from Northern Ireland. Biography MacNeill was born in West Belfast and has appeared in such films as ''Fifty Dead Men Walking'' and ''Peacefire'' directed by Macdara Valle ...

, Rob Malone,

Dearbhla Molloy Dearbhla Molloy (; born 1946) is an Irish actress. Early life Molloy was born to John Molloy and Evelyn Ryan and grew up on Yellow Walls Road in Malahide, County Dublin, Ireland, the eldest of seven children. She attended an Irish-language s ...

, Eugene O'Hare and

Niall Wright Niall Wright (born 26 July 1991) is an actor born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He trained as a child at the Gwyneth Murdock School of Drama and studied professionally at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He also studied a business degree at U ...

. The production transferred to the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague an ...

, opening on 29 June 2017, following previews from 20 June. After a first cast change on 9 October 2017 with

William Houston William Churchill Houston ( 1746 – August 12, 1788), a Founding Father of the United States, was a teacher, lawyer and statesman. Houston served as a delegate representing New Jersey in both the Continental Congress and Constitutional Conventi ...

(Quinn Carney),

Sarah Greene Elizabeth Sarah Greene (born 24 October 1957) is an English television presenter and actress. She co-presented ''Blue Peter'' from May 1980 until June 1983, and hosted the Saturday-morning series '' Saturday Superstore'' and ''Going Live!''. E ...

(Caitlin Carney),

Ivan Kaye Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the Duke of Milan in all three seasons of '' The Borgias'', and King Aelle in the first four Seasons o ...

(Tom Kettle) and others joining the company, a second cast change took place on 8 January 2018, featuring

Rosalie Craig Rosalie Mae Craig (born 30 May 1981) is an English actress, noted for her performances in musical theatre. In 2013 she received her first major award, a London Evening Standard Award for Best Performance in a Musical. Life and career Craig g ...

Owen McDonnell Owen McDonnell (born 1974) is an Irish actor best known for playing Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll in RTÉ Television's '' Single-Handed'' and Niko Polastri in BBC's ''Killing Eve''. Early life McDonnell was born in Galway in Ireland. He attend ...

(as Quinn Carney),

Laurie Kynaston Laurence Stephen Kynaston (born 24 February 1994) is a Welsh actor. He won an Evening Standard Theatre Awards, ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for his performance in ''The Son (Zeller play), The Son'', as well as receiving a WhatsOnStage Award ...

(as Oisin Carney) and Justin Edwards. The production closed on 19 May 2018. The production transferred to the

Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theat ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, beginning previews on 2 October 2018. The play, which went on to win four Tony Awards, closed on 7 July 2019.Clement, Olivia
"Tony-Winning 'The Ferryman' Ends on Broadway July 7"
Playbill, July 7, 2019

Cast and characters

Awards and nominations

Original London production

Original Broadway production

References

External links

Official WebsiteRoyal Court ListingInternet Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferryman 2017 plays West End plays Plays set in Ireland Plays by Jez Butterworth Fiction set in 1981 Laurence Olivier Award-winning plays Tony Award-winning plays