Synopsis
Set in rural Northern Ireland in 1981, The Ferryman unfolds in the farmhouse of the Carney family during the annual harvest season. As the household prepares for a day of celebration, news arrives that the body of Seamus Carney – missing for a decade – has finally been discovered. The revelation stirs old loyalties and buried tensions, intertwining the family’s private world with the wider conflict of the Troubles. Across one long day, laughter, love and festivity give way to suspicion and reckoning, as the past demands a devastating price.
Reviews
“A rich, explosive drama that combines the intensity of Greek tragedy with the warmth and humour of an Irish family gathering.”
Variety
“Sam Mendes’s staging of Jez Butterworth’s masterpiece feels both epic and intimate — a deeply human story set against a backdrop of violence and history.”
Vox
“A breathtaking feast of stories and characters — as exuberant as it is devastating.”
New York Theater
“Jez Butterworth’s play, now with Brian d’Arcy James and an accomplished American cast, is still not-to-be-missed.”
New York Stage Review
“[D’Arcy] James and the other new cast members bring the same level of emotional intensity to their roles as their predecessors, so those encountering Butterworth’s monumental drama for the first time can rest assured that they won’t be experiencing it in an inferior form (as long as you’re willing to overlook the occasional slip in Irish accents).” TheatreMania