About the Play:

The Weir was one of Royal National Theatre of Britain's top 100 plays of the 20th century.

The Weir is a full-length drama by Conor McPherson. In a bar in rural Ireland, the local men swap spooky stories in an attempt to impress a young woman from Dublin who recently moved into a nearby "haunted" house. However, the tables are soon turned when she spins a yarn of her own. The Weir is a spellbinding, beautifully observed hit from the master of suspenseful realism.

The Weir is set in a small pub in a remote part of Ireland. The local lads are swapping stories round the crackling fire of Brendan's pub to while away the hours one stormy night. As the beer and whisky flows, the arrival of a young stranger, haunted by a secret from her past, turns the tales of folklore into something more unsettling. It's clear that Valerie has something on her mind. She has a tale to tell that'll stop them all dead in their tracks… A shadowy tale delving into the dark corners of human lives, The Weir is recognized as Conor McPherson's masterpiece; combining superbly chilling tales of the supernatural with the hilarious banter of a small community in the heart of rural Ireland.

The Weir premiered in 1997 at the Royal Court Theatre at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. It transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 1998, where it played for two years. The play went on to win the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1999. Conor McPherson also won the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for Most Promising Playwright was still only 27. Since then it has been performed very widely, including on Broadway in 1999. It received a major West End revival at the Donmar Warehouse in 2013, and transferred to the West End once again. It was voted one of the hundred most significant plays of the twentieth century in a poll conducted by the National Theatre in 2000. The play is regularly performed in regional repertory, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 1 female, 4 male

What people say:

"You shed all sense of time at this beautiful and devious new play." — The New York Times

"A spellbinder that transfixes you… No praise in fact is too high… The Weir offers the most exciting evening in theatrical London." — The Guardian

"The play of the decade… a modern masterpiece." — The Express

"I am convinced that this is the best new play I've seen in years." — The Sunday Telegraph

"There is a depth in the characterisation… that puts one in mind of an Irish Chekhov. I have rarely been so convinced that I have just seen a modern classic." — The Daily Telegraph

"A beautifully crafted and compassionate piece, dealing with love, loss and loneliness. It works because one believes so intensely in the characters that one shares the experiences they talk of, because it contains at its heart a shattering event and because it demonstrates the healing potential of storytelling… a fine piece of writing." — Financial Times

About the Playwright:

Conor McPherson is an Irish playwright and co-founder of the Fly by Night Theatre Company. He has won numerous awards, including a Laurence Olivier Award for The Weir and Tony Award nominations for Shining City and The Seafarer.