On the Town Sean O'Casey's play, The Plough and the Stars, brought the reality of war home to audiences in London this week. The Abbey production began its tour by opening to a packed house in the city's Barbican Theatre, featuring actors Cathy Belton, John Kavanagh, Eamon Morrissey and Olwen Fouéré.
Shivaun O'Casey, the playwright's daughter, was moved like many others by the play's "pertinence to this moment and the Iraq war". Instead of Bush's belief in the glory of fighting, she said, "in this play it's about the horror, and all those poor sons and the civilians and how they are affected, like in Falluja and Baghdad".
"People respond to the humour at home, but here it's a very listening audience," said Ben Barnes, the play's director and artistic director of the Abbey. "Because the play is such a strong anti-war play, it's quite sobering to play it in a country that is at war. It comes as a surprise [to British audiences] that there was so much opposition to the Rising. The Great War was on at the time and that's very well captured in the play."
Geoffrey O'Byrne White, chief executive of CityJet, the production's tour sponsor, was also moved by the performance. He went on to say that CityJet's support of the Abbey Theatre is not solely about business; his interest also stems from a personal passion for theatre and the fact that Lady Gregory, the Abbey's co-founder, was his great-grand-aunt.
Others at the opening night in the Barbican Theatre included film director John Crowley, playwright David Hare, director of the Peacock Theatre Ali Curran and her sister, television producer Susanne Curran.
Derek Hannon, first secretary at the Irish Embassy, said that although the play was written 80 years ago, "issues that we are seeing in the media make it seem quite contemporary". The play was "quite amazing", said Cork woman Deirdre O'Donovan, who works in the Mayor of London's office. Gallery owner Barbara Stanley, who is originally from Ballinalough, Co Roscommon, nodded in agreement.
"It's such a monolithic play. It's a very interesting moment to watch the Abbey giving one last glance over its shoulder to the last century," said actor Fiona Shaw. "Maybe it can be as daring as it was in the past."
The Plough and the Stars, by Sean O'Casey, runs in London until Saturday, January 29th, and opens in Cork's Opera House on Wednesday, February 2nd