The Latest Breaking News from Brian Friel

Elizabeth Newman’s debut show as artistic director captures the play’s humour and heartbreak yet leaves you wishing for more of its ecstatic abandon

Originally published in 1979, this tremendous set of stories by the great Irish playwright is full of country folk looking to make their mark

This emotionally dense production of Brian Friel’s eloquent play about memory, love and belief is the latest example of why the Lyric is one of London’s most interesting theatres right now

First staged in 1990, Brian Friel’s “magnificent memory play” Dancing at Lughnasa has been revived at the National Theatre, said Sarah Crompton on What’s On Stage. And the production, directed by Josie Rourke, is a “glory”. The story is told from the point of view of a man called Michael,…

Brian Friel’s thoughtful 1930s drama remains absorbing, while Noel Coward’s classic has fine cigarette work but fails to ignite

A guide to the week’s theatre

There are superb performances from a cast including Siobhán McSweeney and Ardal O’Hanlon in Josie Rourke’s production

Even if you missed all the subtext, this show would still delight in its acute depiction of family dynamics

Caitríona McLaughlin’s version of Brian Friel’s seminal play Translations is coming to Ireland’s national theatre, the Abbey, this summer. Her striking adaption shows how Friel’s masterpiece is as relevant today as it was when it was first performed in 1980.