No longer playing it for laughs in The Playboy of the Western World

Blue Raincoat’s production of The Playboy streamlines the comedy and brings out the darker side of the play, writes Padraic Killeen

HAVING premiered in Sligo last year, Blue Raincoat’s exhilarating production of JM Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World is taking off on a national tour.

Directed by Niall Henry and featuring stalwarts of the Raincoat ensemble such as Sandra O’Malley and Bob Kelly, the production offers a dark and unnerving portrait of an Irish community. Among other things, the comedy — so often amplified in other productions — is notably streamlined by Henry, and to tremendous effect.