Irish classic hasn’t aged well

Lyttelton Theatre at the National Theatre

It may be a classic of Irish theatre but London critics gave J M Synge‘s The Playboy of the Western World a cool reception. The story of a self proclaimed murderer who becomes a local celebrity seemed slow and old fashioned to many of them. There was also widespread criticism of Caitríona McLaughlin‘s production as being uneven. Worst of all, the decision to be faithful to the traditional Irish accents made it difficult to understand. On the other hand, Derry Girls alumni Nicola Coughlan and Siobhán McSweeney were praised for their performances as lovestruck women, and Katie Davenport‘s design impressed.

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Holly O’Mahony, writing for LondonTheatre, found the play ‘transfixing: ‘There’s great direction from McLaughlin here, as a parade of beautiful young lasses appear with gifts, practically quivering with lust’ (…)  ‘If you don’t know whether to laugh or cry by the end, you’ll still leave satisfied, with plenty to chew over’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Dave Fargnoli for The Stage found it ‘an appealingly edgy, unsettling treatment.’ He noted: ‘McLaughlin pitches the piece somewhere between slow-building farce and folk horror’. He also thought: ‘it looks great; bleak and vivid and just slightly disconcerting’. But ‘the performances themselves are uneven, with some of the cast members needing time to lock into the particular, lilting rhythm of Synge’s writing’.

The Times’ Clive Davis warned: ‘this production … is too reverential to do full justice to the dark humour in the text. It’s also delivered in strong traditional accents that will leave outsiders straining to make sense of the dialogue.’

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar said: ‘Synge could even have been the Tarantino of his time, glamorising Christy’s violence. But it seems old-fashioned in this faithfully period production‘

The Standard’s Nick Curtis found: ‘the portrayal of poverty and repressed lasciviousness that caused riots when the play originally opened at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre now feel quaint and stereotypical.’ While praising the acting, he decided: the ‘production celebrates the play’s lyrical language but falls prey to its meandering, repetitive structure.’

For Anya Ryan in Time Out (assumed 3 stars) there were ‘beautiful, affecting images of County Mayo folklore alongside some standout acting performances’, however: ‘the production comes across as a hodgepodge of competing ideas.’ She attributed some of the blame to ‘the rambling, stretched-out plot’.

Clare Allfree for the Telegraph complained: ‘thanks to the use of archaic Irish accents and syntax, Synge’s succulent poetry is frequently unintelligible – almost to the point of inaccessible – to those not acquainted with the dialect.’ She said Nicola Coughlan gave ‘a performance of stealth power’.

The Independent’s Alice Saville found it: ‘densely written and deeply strange, meaning it’s not a straightforward watch – but its leads have got enough vigour and wit to carry us through.’ She picked out: ‘McSweeney (as Widow Quin) is wonderfully funny as this calculating local weirdo’. As for the production: ‘the tone feels disconcertingly uneven. Some bleak scenes are played straightforwardly for laughs, while potentially comedic moments (the final punchline included) are invested with a surprising heaviness.’

Cindy Marcolina at BroadwayWorld wrote: ‘McLaughlin approaches the text with pure naturalism. She leans into the humour, but counteracts it with creepy disturbance. At the hand of Éanna Hardwicke, Christy is an impish figure, a devilish narcissist who chuckles and stalks and teases like a displaced fae from a fairy tale.’ She loved Nicola Coughlan’s ‘thrilling performance. Vain and opinionated, she tries hard to resist the stranger’s allure with upfront wariness – but even her fiery feistiness bends.’

Alun Hood for WhatsOnStage opined: ‘This is a sumptuous production, rich in detail, craft and spectacle. It’s impressive but dramatically inert, ultimately not really proving why Synge’s tale of romantic disappointment and the ludicrousness of putting people on a pedestal, is worthy of a major revival at the present time.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

Alekx Sierz on The Arts Desk put the boot in: ‘Michael Flaherty’s bar should be like the cramped room of Conor McPherson’s The Weir (obviously influenced by Synge). Instead, here it is a huge space like a mega urban Wetherspoon’s. A massive barn. Hardly a place of poverty. To fill the acres of empty space, director Caitríona McLaughlin … adds a fair amount of over-designed folkloric business, with keening funeral processions, masked mummers and goddess worshippers galore.’

Critics’ average rating: 3.0⭑

Value rating 35 (Value Rating is a combination of the critics’ rating and the typical ticket price)

The Playboy of the Western World can be seen at the National Theatre until 28 February 2026. Buy tickets directly from the theatre.

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