…this has always been a house of reticence, of things unspoken
From Philadelphia, Here I Come! to Translations, Brian Friel’s plays have delighted generations of Abbey Theatre audiences. This summer we return to the village of Ballybeg with Aristocrats.
The once influential O’Donnells have gathered to celebrate a wedding in their crumbling home, Ballybeg Hall. The father, Justice O’Donnell is on his death-bed. This upper class family has survived wars and famine but the old order is collapsing. Can they forge a new life for themselves?
First premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 1979, Aristocrats is a revealing family drama which subtly confronts a politically charged time in Ireland. Patrick Mason, the acclaimed director of Dancing at Lughnasa returns to direct one of Brian Friel’s finest plays.
