Experience an iconic 20th-century Irish drama, reimagined by an acclaimed English-language theatre company in the intimate Badhuistheater in Amsterdam.
About The Playgirl of the Western World
The Playgirl of the Western World is a new interpretation of John Millington Synge's 1907 play entitled The Playboy of the Western World, which takes place in a pub on the west coast of Ireland. The premise is that an outsider, Christy Mahon, has arrived in town, boasting about having killed his father. Pegeen Mike, the pub owner's daughter, becomes infatuated with him.
In the original version, the play's title refers to Christy Mahon, but since Pegeen is such an important character, this version, produced by Mike's Badhuistheater, sees Pegeen as the protagonist, giving the play a more female gaze, hence the altered title! The Irish playwright, JM Synge, wrote it in Hiberno-English, a dialect of English that is marked by inflexions and syntax derived from the Irish language (AKA Gaelic), the first playwright to do so.
The play was provocative in its day, to the extent that it led to riots and scathing reviews which raised questions about public morals. Its premieres in Dublin and New York were met with disturbances and "boos" from audiences, but it quickly came to be acknowledged as one of the most important works of Irish literature in the early 20th century. It has since been adapted for film, television and opera.
Times and dates
The times and dates of the performance are as follows:
September 24 at 8.15pm
September 25 at 8.15pm
September 26 at 3pm
October 1 at 8.15pm
October 2 at 8.15pm
October 3 at 3pm
About the Badhuistheater
Badhuistheater International is a very dynamic English-language theatre company made up of mostly expats who have given multiple sold-out performances, led by British actor, writer and theatre director Mike Manicardi.
The theatre is housed in a former bathhouse on the east side of Amsterdam, which has been listed as a Dutch national monument, built in the distinctive Amsterdamse school style of architecture.