Murphy - Plays. 6

Tom Murphy

Plays: 6

The Vicar of Wakefield, The Cherry Orchard, The Drunkard, The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant

The Vicar of Wakefield: modelled on Oliver Goldsmiths classic novel, Tom Murphys comedy is peopled with thieves, pimps, bawds and impostors who prey on innocence unless God or the ruling class takes a hand.

The Cherry Orchard: shot through with an insightful and colloquial sparkle. The Times

The Drunkard: a wonderfully eloquent play. Murphys ear is finely attuned to the glories and absurdities of melodramatic exclamation, and even while he is wringing out its ludicrous overstatement, he is also making it sing. Irish Times

The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant: its contemporary Irish resonances are amplified to highlight greed and the hollowness of religious hypocrisy... as a morality tale, this is thumping with home truths. Guardian

Tom Murphy was born in Tuam, County Galway and now lives in Dublin. He has received numerous theatre awards and holds honorary degrees from Trinity College Dublin and NUI (Galway). A six-play season celebrating his work was presented by the Irish National Theatre Tom Murphy at The Abbey in 2001. He has written for television and film, and a novel, The Seduction of Morality. His stage plays include A Whistle in the Dark, On the Outside (with Noel ODonoghue), Famine, A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocers Assistant, The Morning After Optimism, The White House, On the Inside, The Vicar of Wakefield or She Stoops to Folly, The Sanctuary Lamp, Epitaph Under Ether (a compilation from the works of J. M. Synge), The Blue Macushla, The Informer (from the novel by Liam OFlaherty), The Gigli Concert, Conversations on a Homecoming, Bailegangaire, A Thief of a Christmas, Too Late For Logic, The Patriot Game, The Wake, The House, The Drunkard, The Cherry Orchard, Alice Trilogy and The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant.

by the same author

PLAYS: 1

(Famine, The Patriot Game, The Blue Macushla)

PLAYS: 2

(Conversations on a Homecoming, Bailegangaire, A Thief of a Christmas)

PLAYS: 3

(The Morning After Optimism, The Sanctuary Lamp, The Gigli Concert)

PLAYS: 4

(A Whistle in the Dark, A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocers Assistant, On the Outside, On the Inside)

PLAYS: 5

(Too Late for Logic, The Wake, The House, Alice Trilogy)

TOM MURPHY

Plays: 6

The Vicar of Wakefield
The Cherry Orchard
The Drunkard
The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant

with an introduction by the author

Methuen Drama

METHUEN DRAMA CONTEMPORARY DRAMATISTS

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

This collection first published in Great Britain in 2010 by Methuen Drama

Methuen Drama
A & C Black Publishers Limited
36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY
www.methuendrama.com

The Vicar of Wakefield originally published as She Stoops to Folly in 1996. Revised in this volume. Copyright 1996, 2010 by Tom Murphy

The Cherry Orchard first published in 2004. Revised in this volume. Copyright 2004, 2010 by Tom Murphy

The Drunkard first published in 2004 by Carysfort Press. Revised in this volume. Copyright 2004, 2010 by Tom Murphy

The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant first published in 2009. Revised in this volume. Copyright 2009, 2010 by Tom Murphy

Introduction 2010 Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of these works

eISBN: 978-1-40812-389-8

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Typeset by Country Setting, Kingsdown, Kent Printed and bound in Great Britain by Lightning Source UK, Milton Keynes

Caution
All rights in this collection are strictly reserved and application for performances etc. by professionals and amateurs should be made before rehearsals begin to: Alexandra Cann Representation, 52 Beauchamp Place, London SW3 1NY (email: alex@alexandracann.co.uk); and by amateurs for The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant to Methuen Drama (Rights), A & C Black Publishers Limited, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY (email: permissions@acblack.com).

No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained.

No rights in incidental music or songs contained in the Work are hereby granted and performance rights for any performance/presentation whatsoever must be obtained from the respective copyright agent.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of A & C Black Publishers Limited.

This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

To
JB

all happiness

Contents

Tom Murphy

1961 A Whistle in the Dark (Theatre Royal, Stratford East)

1962 On the Outside (with Noel ODonoghue), Radio Eireann

1968 The Orphans (Gate Theatre) Famine (Peacock Theatre)

1969 A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocers Assistant (Abbey Theatre)

1971 The Morning After Optimism (Abbey Theatre)

1972 The White House (Abbey Theatre)

1974 On the Inside (Peacock Theatre)

1975 The Vicar of Wakefield (adaptation; Abbey Theatre)

1976 The Sanctuary Lamp (Abbey Theatre)

1976 The J. Arthur Maginnis Story (Irish Theatre Company)

1979 Epitaph Under Ether (compilation from J. M. Synge; Abbey Theatre)

1980 The Blue Macushla (Abbey Theatre)

1981 The Informer (adaptation; Olympia Theatre)

1982 She Stoops to Conquer (Irish setting; Abbey Theatre)

1983 The Gigli Concert (Abbey Theatre)

1985 Conversations on a Homecoming (Druid Theatre)

1985 Bailegangaire (Druid Theatre)

1985 A Thief of a Christmas (Abbey Theatre)

1989 Too Late for Logic (Abbey Theatre)

1991 The Patriot Game (Peacock Theatre)

1994 The Seduction of Morality (a novel, pub. Little, Brown)

1995 She Stoops to Folly (South Coast Repertory Theatre, Costa Mesa, California)

1998 The Wake (Abbey Theatre) 2000 The House (Abbey Theatre)

2003 The Drunkard (b*spoke Theatre Company)

2004 The Cherry Orchard (Abbey Theatre)

2005 Alice Trilogy (Royal Court Theatre)

2009 The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant (Abbey Theatre)

If chance there is, it is how the commissions to do these adaptations/versions of Goldmsith, Chekhov, W. H. Smith & A Gentleman and Saltykov-Shchedrin came about.

I had wanted for a long time to do a version of a Greek play, and my wish was to be fulfilled, I thought, when the Abbey Theatre came knocking and asked me would I have a look at Antigone. Of course I would. It was an invitation, one that relieved me of the business of selecting a particular play, the Abbey would commission a literal translation and, all being well with my part, I had a management and theatre that would put the thing on. Then the caveat: Set it in Belfast. I could see the theatres point: the plays potential could be worked to overtly represent and relate to the contemporary situation that was happening in Northern Ireland. But it wasnt for me.