Production images released for The Playboy of the Western World

Emmie Newitt 11 December, 2025, 21:04

National Theatre's revival of John Millington Synge's play about youth and self-discovery is now playing at the Lyttelton Theatre for a limited time, and stars Derry Girls stars Nicola Coughlan and Siobhán McSweeney.

nicola coughlan playboy of the western world Nicola Coughlan in The Playboy of the Western World. Photo by Marc Brenner

Directed by Caitriona McLaughlin, the cast also features Declan Conlon, Lorcan Cranitch, Megan Cusack, Éanna Hardwicke, and Marty Rea.

They are joined by Marty Breen, Naoise Dunbar, Matthew Forrest, Sallay Garnett, Fionnuala Gygax, Erin Hennessey, with Susan Akintomide, Peter Mooney, and Donncha O’Dea joining the ensemble.

The three-act play was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1907. It has had subsequent adaptations across the world, including a Mandarin Chinese version in 2006.

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The Playboy of the Western World follows Pegeen Flaherty, whose life is turned upside down when, on a normal day, a young man walks into her pub claiming that he's killed his father. Instead of being shunned, the killer Christy Mahon becomes a local hero. However, as he wins hearts and gets settled into village life, a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene.

The Playboy of the Western World plays at Lyttelton Theatre from 4 December 2025 to 28 February 2026.

The Playboy of the Western World Tickets