The Playboy of the Western World
by John Millington Synge
Booking and details
Public booking opens at midday on Thursday 15 May
At the edge of the earth, you could be anyone
Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when, on a normal day, a young man walks into her pub claiming that he’s killed his father.
Instead of being shunned, the killer Christy Mahon becomes a local hero. The welcome murderer wins hearts and races as he beds himself into village life. That is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene…
Caitríona McLaughlin (Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin) directs Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton), Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls) in John Millington Synge’s riveting story of youth and self-discovery.
Get pre-sale access to tickets
Members book first for our new shows, including Bacchae, Hamlet and The Playboy of the Western World.
Supporting Cast and Patron booking from Tuesday 6 May
Member and Member Plus booking from Thursday 8 May
Suitability
Please note: This production contains references to murder and violence, sexual references, complex family relationships and alcoholism.
Cast includes
Declan Conlon
Old Mahon
Declan Conlon
Nicola Coughlan
Margaret Flaherty
Nicola Coughlan
Lorcan Cranitch
Michael James Flaherty
Lorcan Cranitch
Megan Cusack
Susan Brady
Megan Cusack
Éanna Hardwicke
Christopher Mahon
Éanna Hardwicke
Siobhán McSweeney
For the National Theatre: Dancing at Lughnasa, As You Like It, The Captain of Köpenick, The Kitchen, Mother Courage and her Children and England People Very Nice.
Marty Rea
Shawn Keogh
Marty Rea
Artistic team
Director
Caitríona McLaughlin
Caitríona McLaughlin
Set and Costume Designer
Katie Davenport
Katie Davenport
Lighting Designer
James Farncombe
James Farncombe
For the National Theatre: The Other Place in association with A Zeldin Company, Phaedra, People, Places and Things (also West End, on UK tour and at St Ann’s Warehouse, New York), When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Plough and the Stars, Man and Superman, Three Winters, Edward II, People, The Magistrate, London Road, Juno and the Paycock, Men Should Weep and Double Feature
Sound Designer
Adrienne Quartly
Adrienne Quartly
Composer
Anna Mullarkey
Anna Mullarkey
Casting Director
Alastair Coomer CDG
Alastair Coomer CDG
For the National Theatre: over 50 productions including Alterations, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Other Place, The Grapes of Wrath, Mnemonic (2024), Nye (also Wales Millennium Centre), The House of Bernarda Alba, Othello, The Crucible (also West End), Blues for an Alabama Sky, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Mosquitoes, This House, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, One Man, Two Guvnors and War Horse
Casting Director
Naomi Downham
Naomi Downham
For the National Theatre, as casting director: Alterations, A Tupperware of Ashes, The Grapes of Wrath, Underdog: The Other Other Brontë (also Northern Stage), The House of Bernarda Alba, The Crucible (also West End), The Ocean at the End of the Lane (UK tour), Hamlet (school tour) and Jekyll & Hyde (school tour)
Booking information
Ticket prices
Monday – Thursday evenings and matinees:
£25, £39, £59, £79, £99
Friday – Saturday evenings and matinees:
£30, £49, £66, £86, £110
Previews 4 – 9 December:
£20, £35, £49, £64, £79
Prices may change according to demand
For concessions and discounts, see Ways to save
Early evening performances
Please note the 6.30pm start time on the following performances: Tue 6 Jan, Thur 15 Jan, Thur 19 Feb and Tue 24 Feb.
Ticketing FAQs
- Fees: We charge no extra booking fees.
- Payment types: We accept Amex, MasterCard & Visa.
- Ticket delivery: We send mobile tickets 7 days before the performance. These can be saved to the wallet on your phone.
- Ticket exchanges: You can request to exchange some or all of your tickets in the Account section of this website, up to 24hrs before the performance. A fee of £4 per performance returned online applies.
Visit our full Ticketing FAQs if you need more information on how to book, ticket exchanges and more.
What's on guide
Download the latest guide (PDF 1.8MB)
What’s on Jan – Dec 2025
Download the Alternative format of the Jan – Dec 2025 guide (PDF 515KB)
Assisted performances
The interpreter for the BSL performance will be announced closer to the performance date.
Audio-described performances are preceded by a Touch Tour, 90 minutes before the performance start time. Call the Access line on 020 7452 3961 to book Touch Tours.
The Audio describers will be announced closer to the performance date.
We have an allocation of tickets held for members of our Access scheme and if any of the assisted performances above are shown as “Sold Out”, tickets may still be available: Please log in to your account to view all available tickets, or call Box Office on 020 7452 3961
Smart caption glasses
Will not be available for performances of The Playboy of the Western World.
Shop
Visit our Shop website for a wide range of playtexts, gifts and prints of past production posters.
Photos by (Nicola Coughlan) Billie Scheepers, (Siobhan McSweeney) Phil Sharp, (Éanna Hardwicke) Madeleine Mulqueen.