WAKE, THE

Original titleWAKE, THE
CategoryPlay
AgegroupAdults
Cast9 total (5 F and 4 M)
Variable cast sizeNo
RepresentationNordic representation
This is the first play in eight years from the Irish playwright Tom Murphy. The main themes are the same as in his previous works and those of other Irish authors: the homecoming after a life in exile. It also deals with the clashes between the free spirited and the bourgeoisie in society and so in this case, it is Vera, who at the age of 37 returns to her rather prejudiced Irish hometown, after a life in the US working as a call girl for upper-class people. Upon her return she moves in with her ex-lover, the eccentric scrap dealer Finbar. Then subsequently, in her search for her true self, she automatically reveals the double standard of morality, the prejudices and class hatred that she once left. Especially within her own family, her brother Tom and sister Mary Jane are mortified when she rightfully claims her inheritance in form of an old decaying hotel. It does not get any better when she occupies the old guesthouse, together with Finbar and a drunken brother-in-law who is a protestant. Lastly, it causes a right palaver when it is known that the threesome is actually having a physical ménage à trios. However, the gloomy atmosphere is gradually replaced by happiness and plenty of singing, as the hotel’s good Irish whiskey is consumed.