Irish acting talent was out in force in London on Thursday night as The Playboy of the Western World officially opened at the National Theatre.
Nicola Coughlan, Siobhán McSweeney and Éanna Hardwicke were among those pictured at the press-night celebrations for the revival, which is playing the National's Lyttelton Theatre.
Directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, the production features Coughlan as Pegeen Mike, Hardwicke as Christy Mahon and McSweeney as Widow Quin, alongside a cast including Declan Conlon, Lorcan Cranitch, Megan Cusack and Marty Rea.
Synge’s darkly comic classic centres on Pegeen, whose life is upended when a young stranger arrives in her pub claiming he has killed his father. The run began previews on 4 December and continues until 28 February 2026.
First staged at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 1907, The Playboy of the Western World remains one of the best-known works of the Irish theatre canon, and this new National Theatre revival is also set to be screened in cinemas via NT Live from 28 May 2026.
