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NEW FROM TCG BOOKS: CONOR MCPHERSON'S THE SEAFARER
SET IN DUBLIN ON CHRISTMAS EVE
NOW PLAYING ON BROADWAY
"McPherson is quite possibly the finest playwright of his generation."
—Ben Brantley, New York Times
"Succinct, startling and eerie, and the funniest McPherson play to date."
—Observer (London)
"The Birthday Party crossed with Faust. A hilarious, spooky and delving play about living hells, drying out, despair and hope."
—Independent
New York, December 2007—Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce the publication of Conor McPherson's new play The Seafarer, currently playing at the Booth Theatre on Broadway, after an acclaimed premiere production directed by McPherson himself at The National Theatre of Great Britain.
McPherson is one of Ireland's leading contemporary playwrights, author of The Weir and Shining City, Tony-nominated for Best Play in 2006; he returns to his native Dublin for the setting of his magnificently atmospheric, Faustian-themed new work. It is Christmas Eve and James "Sharky" Harkin, erstwhile fisherman/van driver/chauffeur, gathers with friends at the dingy flat he shares with his blind brother to drink booze and play cards. As Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day, the oddly familiar stranger Mr. Lockhart reminds Sharky of the bargain he made when they last met in prison—and Sharky suddenly finds himself playing a game with the stakes set at his soul.
"The journey of The Seafarer was a long one for me. There's this monument in Ireland, not very big, a 5,000-year-old tomb called Newgrange," McPherson relates in the December issue of American Theatre magazine. "It's got a long tunnel with a little hole in the middle in it, and on the [winter solstice] each year, the sun shines directly down that chamber and lights it up—on the darkest day of the year. That image was mind-blowing to me—so simple, spiritual and amazing. I wanted to write a play that had that moment."
McPherson continues: "The devil, Lockhart, was a force of nature coming into the play. He's scary, but he's also an agent of change for the characters. He is the darkness we need in our lives to recognize what's important and hopeful." Conor McPherson was born in Dublin, where he still lives. His plays include The Weir (Olivier Award, Best Play), Port Authority, Dublin Carol, This Lime Tree Bower and Shining City (Tony nomination, Best Play).
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Theatre Communications Group is the national organization for the American theatre, encompassing a membership of 17,000 individuals as well as more than 460 theatre companies located throughout the United States, which present performances to an annual attendance of more than 17 million. Founded in 1961, TCG provides a variety of artistic, administrative and informational services to theatres and independent theatre artists, and acts as a forum for the profession and a resource for the media, funding agencies and the public. TCG is the publisher of American Theatre magazine, ARTSEARCH, and a line of performing arts books. Please visit our website and online bookstore at www.tcg.org .
The Seafarer
by Conor McPherson
Paperback 112pp
$13.95
978-1-55936-312-9
January 2008
Also from TCG:
Shining City
by Conor McPherson
Paperback 112p
$13.95
978-1-55936-255-9
Dublin Carol
by Conor McPherson
Paperback 96pp
$11.95
978-1-55936-185-9
Port Authority
by Conor McPherson
Paperback 80pp
$11.95
978-1-55936-207-8
The Weir and Other Plays
by Conor McPherson
Paperback 320pp
$17.99
978-1-55936-167-5
Volume includes:
St. Nicolas, This Lime Tree Bower, The Good Thief, Rum and Vodka.
TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. Orders: 800-283-3572. SAN number: 63170X. Individuals may call 212-609-5900 or visit our online bookstore at www.tcg.org. For postage and handling, please add $5.00 for the first book and $.50 for each additional copy.