‘Stunning’ production comes to Sligo
Following the critically acclaimed world premiere production as part of Dublin Theatre Festival in 2017, Fishamble and Sebastian Barry reunite for the revival tour of ‘On Blueberry Hill’.
Following a sell-out run in New York, the play comes to the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo on February 6 th.
Director Jim Culleton explained the plot to The Sligo Champion: “The play is about two men who are together in a prison cell in Mountjoy. Their crimes are sort of inter-connected and by a strange twist of fate, orchestrated by a prison guard, they end up together.
“They become unlikely friends over the years. The play comes in when one of the men is about to be released and they’re sort of figuring out what they’re going to do.”
In Sebastian Barry’s unique style, ‘On Blueberry Hill’ features best of friends and worst of enemies Christy and PJ, played by Niall Buggy and David Ganly.
Culleton added: “It’s by Sebastian Barry so as you can imagine the language is stunning. We’ve just had an amazing sold out run in New York before our Irish tour commences with a date in Sligo.
“There’s been a fantastic reaction in New York. One reviewer said it was like a ‘sound wave coming at you’. We brought it into Mountjoy and it went down really well there, and we brought it to Paris. It’s about forgiveness, friendship and much more. Niall Buggy, one of the actors in it said to me that ‘it was written with great love, and we’re given it that love on stage.’ The audiences really feel that.”
The play was a huge hit in New York where it enjoyed a sold out spell between January 8th and February 3rd.
“Our run in New York was totally sold out, we’ve had people ringing us here trying to see if we could find a way to get them in. We’ve had great reviews from top reviewers in the likes of the New Yorker, the New York Times, so we’re delighted with that.”
Culleton added that Sligo audiences will enjoy the local references included.
“There are certain references in it like about childhood holidays to Mayo, as Sebastian Barry has family connections in Sligo so audiences in Sligo will really get that moreso than audiences in the likes of New York. “But I think in New York people really did respond to the authenticity of aspects like that.”