Overview

It's 1934 and news on the island of Inishmaan is thin on the ground. When a Hollywood studio starts filming nearby, Cripple Billy, for once, is paying attention. Martin McDonagh's comic masterpiece sees eccentric island characters trade stories to within an inch of their lives while a young man tries to make sense of who he is. A huge hit in New York, where it enjoyed an extended run at the Atlantic Theater Company, this marks another triumph for director Garry Hynes, a Tony Award winner for her work on McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane. The finest traditions of Irish theater are realized in productions by this world-famous acting troupe. "Break-your-heart, cruelly funny...directed with an exhilarating ruthlessness and acted with a bracing lack of sentimentality" (The Guardian, London).

Related Events

Behind the Scenes with Druid
Wed, May 4 directly after the performance
Zellerbach Playhouse
(Donors of $600+)
The finest traditions of Irish theater are realized in productions by this world-famous acting troupe. Stay after the performance for an inside look behind the scenes at what it takes to bring The Cripple of Inishmaan to life at Zellerbach Playhouse, and join us for a donors-only reception with the Consul General of Ireland to raise a pint and meet the cast.

Program Notes

Program notes are available online. [PDF]

Multimedia

Articles & Reviews

Rave reviews

San Francisco Chronicle: 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' review: comedy, cruelty Read the rave review

San Francisco Chronicle: The brutally wicked wit of 'Inishmaan' Read the preview article

Los Angeles Times: 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
Read the review

Chicago Sun Times: Druid's 'Inishmaan' a triumph at Chicago Shakespeare.
Read the review

Boston Globe: Dark humor on the Emerald Isle. Read the review

Washington Post: McDonagh's 'Cripple of Inishmaan': Fiendishly funny sendup of rural Irish life. Read the review

annarbor.com: Druid and Atlantic Theater Company's 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' is a sturdy dark comedy. Read the review