Get tickets now to "the most critically acclaimed play of the season" (Rolling Stone). The Chicago Tribune calls THE FERRYMAN "a sprawling, Shakespearean masterpiece and the best new play of the year." Written by Jez Butterworth and directed Sam Mendes, this "new, instant and monumental classic" (HuffPost) has been ranked on more "Top 10" lists than any other show. New York Times critic Ben Brantley says, "It's the Broadway production of the year."
It's 1981 in Northern Ireland, and the Carney farmhouse is a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. But this year they will be interrupted by a visitor. The Hollywood Reporter says, "This crackling thriller positively thrums with life and love. It will leave you breathless." And The New Yorker raves, "As you sit in the audience, you know you are watching theatre history happen." Don't miss THE FERRYMAN - "the must-see drama of the year" (Time Out).
Sam Mendes directs, with scenic & costume design by Rob Howell, lighting design by Peter Mumford, sound design & original music by Nick Powell, and choreography by Scarlett Mackmin.
Butterworth takes his time unfolding details of his plot, focusing more on how a continuing political issue affects family dynamics spanning three generations, leading up to a tense and violent conclusion. Under Sam Mendes' empathetic direction, the wonderful ensemble company provides deeply-textured and entertaining performances. Despite the three and a quarter hour length (one intermission and a brief pause) the play flies by.
The last time a new drama with this breadth of scope and ambition appeared on Broadway was seven years ago. That was Mr. Butterworth's 'Jerusalem,' in which a small-time, middle-aged country drug dealer (played by a monumental Mark Rylance) became a majestic emblem of an ancient, heroic England. With 'The Ferryman,' Mr. Butterworth is again assessing the chokehold of a nation's past on its present. But now it is Northern Ireland at the height of the politically fraught period known as the Troubles. (We hear radio reports of the of the dying Irish Republican hunger striker in the Maze prison.) And he mines the folksy clichés of Irish archetypes - as garrulous, drink-loving, pugilistic souls - to find the crueler patterns of a centuries-old cycle of violence and vengeance.
2017 | West End |
World Premiere at Royal Court Theatre West End |
2017 | West End |
Original West End Production West End |
2018 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Sam Mendes |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Tom Glynn-Carney |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Play | Nick Powell |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Paddy Considine |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | The Ferryman |
2019 | New York Drama Critics Circle Awards | Best Play | Jez Butterworth |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Rob Howell |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Sam Mendes |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Fionnula Flanagan |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | The Ferryman |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Rob Howell |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Tom Glynn-Carney |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Paddy Considine |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Rob Howell |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Sam Mendes |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Peter Mumford |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Paddy Considine |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Fionnula Flanagan |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Laura Donnelly |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jez Butterworth |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Rob Howell |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Nick Powell |
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