THE WEIR: first look
After decades of commanding the screen in films like THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, Brendan Gleeson is making a triumphant return to his theatrical roots. The Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe-nominated, and Emmy-winning actor is set to make his long-awaited West End debut in Conor McPherson’s haunting masterpiece THE WEIR, marking not just a career milestone but a profound homecoming for one of Ireland’s most celebrated performers.
Gleeson’s journey back to the stage represents more than a simple career pivot. While audiences worldwide know him as the formidable Mad-Eye Moody or the gentle Uncle Pastuzo, his theatrical foundation runs deep. His return to live performance feels particularly poignant as he takes on the role of Jack in his native Dublin before transferring to London’s Harold Pinter Theatre, bridging the gap between his Irish heritage and international acclaim.
THE WEIR itself is a play that demands the kind of nuanced, lived-in performance that Gleeson has perfected over his career. McPherson’s modern classic unfolds on a stormy night in an isolated Irish pub, where four local men’s routine evening is transformed by the arrival of Valerie, a mysterious woman whose presence unleashes a cascade of increasingly unsettling tales. The stories they tell to impress her become windows into deeper truths about loneliness, connection, and the ghosts that haunt rural Irish life.
For Gleeson, the role of Jack offers a perfect synthesis of his screen expertise and stage origins. Jack is both everyman and storyteller, a character who embodies the kind of weathered authenticity that has become Gleeson’s signature. The play’s exploration of human connection through storytelling mirrors Gleeson’s own career journey from the intimate world of theater to the global reach of cinema, and now back again to the raw immediacy of live performance.
The production reunites Gleeson with a stellar Irish cast including Owen McDonnell from BAD SISTERS and KILLING EVE as Brendan, veteran actor Seán McGinley as Jim, Kate Phillips from PEAKY BLINDERS as Valerie, and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, known for his powerful stage work in DANCING AT LUGHNASA, as Finbar. This ensemble brings together screen veterans and accomplished stage actors, creating the kind of theatrical alchemy that THE WEIR demands.
Gleeson’s return to the stage after his remarkable film career feels like a natural evolution rather than a departure. The intimate scale of THE WEIR, with its focus on character revelation through dialogue and storytelling, plays to his strengths as an actor who can convey volumes with a glance or inflection. The transition from the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London will allow audiences on both sides of the Irish Sea to witness this master craftsman at work in his element.
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