The Cripple of Inishmaan

This production revives the unique partnership of the Druid ensemble with writer Martin McDonagh and Director Garry Hynes.

‘Ireland mustn’t be such a bad place, so, if the Yanks want to come here to do their filming’ The Cripple of Inishmaan is a comic masterpiece with eccentric island characters trading stories to within an inch of their lives while a young man tries to make sense of who he is. It’s 1934 and the sleepy island of Inishmaan is abuzz with the news that Hollywood filmmaker Robert Flaherty has arrived on the neighboring island of Inishmore to film his movie ‘The Man of Aran.’

Irish humor is legendary. And Martin McDonough (author of the screen play for the film IN BRUGES) has single handedly taken it to a new contemporary level. He makes me gasp and laugh simultaneously.

For orphaned Billy Claven, who has been relentlessly scorned by Inishmaan’s inhabitants, the film represents an escape from the poverty of his existence. He vies for a part in the film, and to everyone’s surprise, it is the cripple who gets his chance.