Ciarán Hinds is set to join Paul Mescal on stage in a major new co-production of Tom Murphy’s A WHISTLE IN THE DARK, brought to life through a partnership between the Abbey Theatre and Britain’s National Theatre. Directed by Abbey Theatre Artistic Director Caitríona McLaughlin, the production will open at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre in London before transferring to Dublin, where it will run at the Abbey Theatre from Wednesday, 13 October to Saturday, 30 October 2027 as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Tickets for the Dublin dates go on sale sometime in 2027, with more details to follow.

First staged in 1961, A WHISTLE IN THE DARK follows Michael Carney, a man who leaves Ireland to build a new life in Coventry with his wife, Betty, only to discover that distance offers no real escape when his family’s turmoil comes looking for him. Mescal, whose involvement in the project was announced last year, will step into the role of Michael Carney and mark his debut with Britain’s National Theatre in the process. The production carries added significance too, as it will be the first time the work of the late, celebrated Irish playwright Tom Murphy has ever been staged at the National Theatre of Great Britain.

Hinds and Mescal will be joined on stage by a cast that includes Peter Corboy, Eimhin Fitzgerald Doherty, Ryan Donaldson, Aisling Loftus, and Julian Moore-Cook. Speaking about the production, director McLaughlin said she cannot wait to be in a room with such a curious, intelligent, sensitive, and playful company of actors, adding that she can hardly believe her luck at getting to tackle Tom Murphy’s work both at home in Ireland’s Abbey Theatre and abroad in the UK’s National Theatre.