AT THE EDGERTON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

By John Millington Synge

Ireland's great playwright and poet J.M. Synge's evocative play of Irish country life follows the travails of the hapless Christopher 'Christy' Mahon. Riots greeted the first performance of The Playboy of the Western World at Dublin's Abbey Theatre on January 26, 1907, for its perceived attack on the Irish people. Eggs, potatoes and even a slice of fruitcake were hurled at the actors during subsequent performances. Yet over a century later, Synge's comic inversion of the ancient tragedy of Oedipus centering around an apparent parricide and its cover-up is considered his masterpiece and one of the great works of the 20th century.

In this part tall tale, part outrageous comedy and part bittersweet parable, a young country lad's transformation from beaten-down weakling to celebrated "playboy" captures the poetic heart of the wild Irish imagination in magnificent lyrical style.

"A work of art... Preserves the fresh music of country speech."
- The New York Times

General Public: $22
Senior Citizens: $15
Students: $10