Direct from a smash hit London run, Daniel Radcliffe takes on his most critically acclaimed role yet in THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN—the biting comedy by the master of vicious fun, Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman, In Bruges), and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Grandage (Red, Frost/Nixon).
When a Hollywood director visits a remote Irish island to cast his latest film, the locals clamor for their once-in-a-lifetime chance at movie stardom. But it's Billy, a frail young man with the odds stacked against him, who has the biggest Hollywood dream of them all.
Ace storyteller McDonagh ('The Pillowman,' 'The Lieutenant of Inishmore') makes these folksy characters' behavior and conversations churn with wicked laughter and wise insights. Like most fables, things darken as truths and lessons emerge - like the one about how people who love and help us also hurt us. Better yet, there's the one about how a journey to a far-away place leaves you flat and a kiss from a local girl gives you a reason for living. Now if only fate would cooperate. Through it all Radcliffe tightly hugs the curves of the spirited Billy's journey. He vividly captures the melancholy, determination and, all too fleetingly, his joy.
Of course, people aren't flocking to the Cort Theatre to see the play-they want to ogle Daniel Radcliffe. They've also probably never heard of The Playboy of the Western World, so all those bog-stupid villagers might seem novel and amusing. One old maid converses with stones; another gorges on her store's candy inventory; a town lass throws eggs at anyone she doesn't like; her idiot brother talks incessantly of telescopes. Then there's Billy (Radcliffe), whom everyone calls Cripple Billy on account of his twisted arm and rigid leg. McDonagh's heavy-handed irony is that kind, thoughtful Billy is the most recognizably human of these grotesques...In fact, six years ago, I actually liked the play. But supersizing it for Broadway (even with Christopher Oram's handsome sets and costumes), Grandage does the brittle comedy no favors. McDonagh just doesn't have much to say, only romantic conventions to cynically flip over.
1998 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2008 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2013 | West End |
Michael Grandage Company Production West End |
2014 | Broadway |
Michael Grandage Company Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Play | Daniel Radcliffe |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Daniel Radcliffe |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | The Cripple of Inishmaan |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Daniel Radcliffe |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | The Cripple of Inishmaan |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Michael Grandage |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | The Cripple of Inishmaan |
2014 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Sarah Greene |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Michael Grandage |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Paule Constable |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Sarah Greene |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Michael Grandage Company |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Arielle Tepper Madover |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | L.T.D. Productions |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stacey Mindich |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Starry Night Entertainment |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott M. Delman |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Martin McCallum |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stephanie P. McClelland |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Zeilinger Productions |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Shubert Organization |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Cripple of Inishmaan |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Christopher Oram |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Alex Baranowski |
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