Paul Mescal and Nicola Coughlan are due to return to the stage in separate productions in Dublin and London. In what will be the first chance to see Gladiator II star Mescal on an Irish stage since his breakthrough big screen successes, he will appear at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2027 in a staging of Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark, following its run at the National Theatre in London. Nicola Coughlan The acclaimed 1961 play tells the story of Michael Carney, who settles in Coventry with his wife Betty, and attempts to forge a new life for himself.
However, leaving Ireland does not set him free, and once the Carneys descend, the play shows the impact of tribal violence and the devastation it brings in its wake. Mr Mescal, who shot to fame after appearing in Normal People in 2020, made his stage debut in 2017 while still a student at the Lir Academy in an immersive production of The Great Gatsby at The Gate Theatre in Dublin. He has since starred in numerous movies and performed on the West End and Broadway stages to great acclaim.
It was also announced this evening that Derry Girls and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan will appear in a new production of JM Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World at the National Theatre from December of this year until February 2026. Both Playboy and A Whistle in the Dark will be directed by the Abbey’s artistic director Caitriona McLaughlin, who has a very busy schedule ahead of her. Paul Mescal It’s an all-Irish affair for the London production of Playboy, with Ms Coughlan joining cast members including her fellow Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeny, Declan Conlon, Lorcan Cranitch, Megan Cusack, Éanna Hardwicke and Marty Rea.
In Playboy of the Western World, Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when, on a normal day, a young man walks into her pub, claiming that he has killed his father. Instead of being shunned, the killer Christy Mahon becomes a local hero. That is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene .
. . The much-loved Playboy is inextricably linked with the Abbey after it sparked riots when it was first unveiled at theatre over a century ago in 1907 The National Theatre says that the show will "honour the rich heritage and influence of Irish drama on British theatre. "
Commenting, Caitríona McLaughlin said: "It will be an honour to bring Playboy of the Western World and A Whistle in the Dark before audiences in London. Every generation deserves to see these two seminal works of the Irish canon." She added: "I am thrilled to take on these two great Irish plays.
The Playboy of the Western World holds a special place in my heart because it is synonymous with the origins of our theatre. "And A Whistle in the Dark is a taut, explosive, pressure cooker of a play and remains Murphy’s best-known and most performed play. " Today’s announcement follows the Abbey Theatre’s own announcement of its 2025 programme, which foregrounds the best of new Irish playwriting, with six world premieres from playwrights Kevin Barry, Barbara Bergin, Marina Carr, Carys D. Coburn, Caitríona Daly and Jimmy McAleavey, set for the Abbey and Peacock Stages.
