''The Seafarer'' is a 2006 play by Irish playwright

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

. It is set on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

Baldoyle Baldoyle () is a coastal suburb of Dublin's Northside (Dublin), northside. It is located in the southeastern part of the jurisdiction of Fingal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, developed from a former fishing village. Baldoyle is also a Civil pa ...

, a coastal suburb north of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

city. The play centers on James "Sharky" Harkin, an alcoholic who has recently returned to live with his blind, aging brother, Richard Harkin. As Sharky attempts to stay off the bottle during the holidays, he contends with the hard-drinking, irascible Richard and his own haunted conscience. It was nominated for multiple

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

s as well as the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

and Evening Standard Award for Best Play. The name of the play links it to the Anglo-Saxon poem '' The Seafarer''.

Plot synopsis

Having recently been let go from his job chauffeuring a wealthy developer and his wife in Lahinch, Co. Clare, Sharky returns to Dublin to look after Richard. Tension between the brothers is evident from the start and exists mostly in Richard's constant sniping and excessive demands from his younger brother. A source of early conflict stems from Richard’s inviting Nicky Giblin—Sharky’s love rival—to join the men, along with Ivan, for a game of poker. Nicky Giblin unexpectedly arrives with the mysterious Mr. Lockhart, a man of refined appearance. During a tête-à-tête, Lockhart reminds Sharky of their prior meeting which occurred twenty-five years to the day previously, when the pair were remanded together in the Bridewell Garda Barracks when Sharky had been arrested over the killing of a vagrant, Lawrence Joyce. During the period of their captivity Sharky had agreed to a game of cards in which he wagered his soul in a game of poker against Lockhart in a bid to gain his freedom. Sharky won the game and with it his freedom, but with the proviso that Lockhart would at some future date have an opportunity to play him once again. The play culminates with the poker game played between the five men. Ostensibly a harmless game of cards, it is in fact a game for Sharky’s soul as Lockhart reveals himself, in a series of private disclosures to Sharky, to be a Mephistophelian entity. Sharky once again trumps his adversary when, at the climax, Ivan reveals his winning hand of four aces which he had earlier mistaken for four fours due to his myopia.

Style

Written broadly in a naturalistic style, ''The Seafarer'' also has magical realist qualities as evidenced by Lockhart’s insights into Sharky’s past and his monologues on the afterlife. McPherson’s dialogue is predominantly written in a working-class Dublin idiom but adopts a more self-conscious lyricism typical of the Irish theatre tradition during the Lockhart monologues.

Production history

;Original production The play premiered in September 2006 at the Cottesloe auditorium of London's

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

. It received a 2007

nomination for Best Play, and Jim Norton won an Olivier for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. The cast was: * Mr Lockhart:

Ron Cook Ronald G. Cook (born 1948) is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s. Early and personal life Cook was born in 1948 in South Shields, County Durham, England, the son of a school cook and a car wo ...

* Ivan Curry:

Conleth Hill Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill (born 24 November 1964) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has performed on stage in productions in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the United States. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards and received two Ton ...

* James 'Sharky' Harkin: Karl Johnson * Nicky Giblin:

Michael McElhatton Michael McElhatton (born 12 September 1963) is an Irish actor and writer. He is best known for playing the role of Roose Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He joined the series as a guest star in the second season, and continued t ...

* Richard Harkin: Jim Norton * Director:

* Designer:

Rae Smith Rae Smith is a British set and costume designer who has worked frequently in theatre and Live Art. Her designs can be seen in the Opera Rigoletto which received a South Bank Sky Arts Award as did ‘’ ncle Vanya film and West End Production i ...

* Lighting Designer: Neil Austin * Sound Designer: Mathew Smethurst-Evans ;Broadway The

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 ...

production opened December 6, 2007 at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance ...

and closed on March 30, 2008. The Broadway cast was: * Mr Lockhart:

Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), ''Persuasion'' (19 ...

* Ivan Curry:

* James 'Sharky' Harkin:

David Morse David Bowditch Morse (born October 11, 1953) is an American actor, singer, television director, and writer. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack "Boomer" Morrison in the medical drama series ''St. Elsewhere'' (1982–88). His film ca ...

* Nicky Giblin:

Sean Mahon Seán Mahon is an Irish stage and screen actor. He is known for playing Nicky Giblin in the Broadway production of '' The Seafarer'', Richard Hannay in the Broadway production of ''The 39 Steps'' and Michael Hess (the lost son) in the award-winni ...

* Richard Harkin: Jim Norton * Director:

* Designer: Rae Smith * Lighting Designer: Neil Austin * Sound Designer: Mathew Smethurst-Evans This production garnered multiple

nominations in 2008, for Best Play, two for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Conleth Hill; Jim Norton), and Best Director of a Play (Conor McPherson. Jim Norton won the Tony for Featured Actor in a Play. ;Ireland The play was first performed in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

in Dublin in May 2008, directed by Jimmy Fay. The Dublin cast was: * Mr Lockhart:

George Costigan George J. Costigan (born 8 August 1947) is an English actor who is best known for portraying Bob in the 1987 film ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' and for roles in TV series such as '' Happy Valley'' and ''So Haunt Me''. Early life Born in Portsmouth, ...

* Ivan Curry:

Don Wycherley Don Wycherley (born 15 September 1967, Skibbereen, County Cork) is an Irish actor. He played Father Cyril McDuff in ''Father Ted'', Father Aidan O'Connell in ''Ballykissangel'', and Raymond in ''Bachelors Walk''. Wycherley is a fluent Irish sp ...

* James 'Sharky' Harkin: Liam Carney * Nicky Giblin:

Phelim Drew Phelim Drew (born 1969) is an Irish actor. Drew is the son of the Irish folk singer Ronnie Drew, one of the founders of The Dubliners. He graduated at Gaiety School of Acting The Gaiety School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school located on E ...

* Richard Harkin: Maelíosa Stafford ;Subsequent productions The

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

premiere, directed by Jasson Minadakis, ran November 13 – December 7, 2008 at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, California. The cast was: * Mr. Lockhart: Robert Sicular * Ivan Curry: Andrew Hurteau * James 'Sharky' Harkin: Andy Murray * Nicky Giblin: John Flanagan * Richard Harkin: Julian Lopez-Morillas The New Jersey regional premiere, directed by Anders Cato, ran November 18, 2008 – December 14, 2008 at

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square government and theater district. It's one of the state's preeminent professional theaters committed to the production of new and established ...

New Brunswick, NJ New Brunswick is a city in and the seat of government of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Robert Cuccioli Robert Cuccioli (born May 3, 1958) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical ''Jekyll and Hyde'', for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, th ...

*Ivan Curry: William Hill *James 'Sharky' Harkin: David Adkins *Nicky Giblin: Matthew Boston *Richard Harkin: David Schramm

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

in Chicago, IL, staged the Chicago premiere December 4, 2008 – February 22, 2009, in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre. It was directed by Randall Arney and featured ensemble members Francis Guinan, Tom Irwin, John Mahoney and Alan Wilder. The cast was: * Mr Lockhart: Tom Irwin * Ivan Curry: Alan Wilder * James 'Sharky' Harkin:

Francis Guinan Francis V. Guinan Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American film, television and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Edgar Teller the patriarch in the short-lived series ''Eerie, Indiana''. The Council Bluffs, Iowa-born actor h ...

* Nicky Giblin: Randall Newsome * Richard Harkin:

John Mahoney Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-born American actor. He was known for playing Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' (1993–2004), and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role in 2000. Mahoney ...

The play opened in

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Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

December 19, 2008 at Bárka. It was directed by Göttinger Pál, in a translation by Upor László. The cast was: *Mr Lockhart: Kálid Artúr *Ivan Curry: Gados Béla *James "Sharky" Harkin: Ilyés Róbert *Nicky Giblin: Dévai Balázs *Richard Harkin: Mucsi Zoltán The play opened January 14, 2009 at

The Studio Theatre The Studio Theatre is a non-profit theater production company located in the 14th Street corridor of Washington, D.C. It produces contemporary plays in a four-stage complex. Stages include the Metheny, the Mead and Milton, and Stage 4, a black b ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. The Pacific Northwest premiere directed by

Wilson Milam Wilson Milam is an American theatre director from Bellevue, Washington who works in the United States, UK and Ireland. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director of a Play for Martin McDonagh's ''The Lieutenant of Inishmore'' as well as ...

opens March 4, 2009 at

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound Seattle, WA Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

with Scenic Designer Eugene Lee and cast: *Mr Lockhart: Frank Corrado *Ivan Curry: Russell Hodgkinson *James 'Sharky' Harkin: Hans Altwies *Nicky Giblin: Shawn Telford *Richard Harkin: Sean G. Griffin The play opened April 4, 2012 at

The Alley Theatre The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning theatre company in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest professional theatre company in Texas and the third oldest resident theatre in the United States. Alley Theatre productions have played on Broadway at L ...

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, Texas, directed by Gregory Boyd. The cast was: *Mr Lockhart: Todd Waite *Ivan Curry: Declan Mooney *James 'Sharky' Harkin: James Black *Nicky Giblin: Chris Hutchison *Richard Harkin: John Tyson The Scottish and Northern Irish premiere, directed by

Rachel O'Riordan Rachel O'Riordan (born 1974) is an Irish theatre director. She is currently the artistic director at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. Early life and education Born in Cork, Ireland to poet and novelist Robert Anthony Welch and Angela O'Riordan ...

, opened February 8, 2013 at Perth Theatre in Perth, Scotland and transferred to the Lyric Theatre, Belfast on February 28, 2013. Designer: Gary McCann. Lighting: Kevin Treacy. Associate Director: Alasdair Hunter. It won Best Director (Rachel O'Riordan) and Best Ensemble at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland."CATS Awards Winners"
''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'', June 9, 2013 The cast was: *Mr Lockhart: Benny Young *Ivan Curry: Sean O'Callaghan *James 'Sharky' Harkin: Louis Dempsey *Nicky Giblin: Tony Flynn *Richard Harkin: Ciaran McIntyre

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seafarer, The 2006 plays Plays by Conor McPherson Plays set in Dublin (city) Christmas plays