The Walworth Farce

Family dysfunction meets theatrical brilliance in this darkly comic masterpiece. A world premiere at Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

For audiences who love bold, inventive comedy.

About the Ebook

A remarkable play about what can happen when we become stuck in the stories we tell about our lives. Visceral and tender, The Walworth Farce combines hilarious moments with shocking realism.

It's 11 o'clock in the morning in a council flat on the Walworth Road in London. In two hours' time, as is normal, three Irish men will have consumed six cans of Harp, fifteen crackers with spreadable cheese, ten pink biscuit wafers and one oven-cooked chicken with a strange blue sauce. In two hours' time, as is normal, five people will have been killed.

Enda Walsh's play The Walworth Farce was first performed by Druid Theatre Company at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, in March 2006, before touring to Cork and Dublin. It was revived at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 2007 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning a Fringe First Award, and received its London premiere at the National Theatre in September 2008.

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• Hilarious yet deeply human exploration of family bonds.
• Enda Walsh's signature theatrical style in full force.
• Published by Nick Hern Books, leading contemporary theatre publisher.
• Theatre that dazzles and moves the heart.

Reviews

'An unsettling but exhilarating blend of the hilarious with the horrifying' Irish Times

'Walsh has outdone himself with a new play more complex, dark and emotionally rich than any of his previous efforts... a theatrical experience that claws at the imagination for days afterwards' Variety

'If there is a bleaker, funnier or more desperate play in Edinburgh this year, I haven't seen it' The Guardian

'Walsh's queasy thriller is masterpiece of virtuoso tale-telling' The Scotsman

'Genius... a first-rate farce concealed in a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions... an astoundingly clever piece of writing... as hilarious as it is heartbreaking' The Times

'A fascinating mixture of trauma, fantasy and jet black comedy... testosterone-fuelled, no holds barred mayhem... a macabre delight' WhatsOnStage

'A twisted classic... disturbing and violent... The play's power lies in its refusal to let you look away' Time Out

About the Author

Enda Walsh is a multi-award-winning Irish playwright. He lives in London. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and has been performed internationally since 1998.

His recent plays include: Medicine at the 2021 Edinburgh International Festival and Galway International Arts Festival; Arlington at the 2016 Galway International Festival; an adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Twits for the Royal Court (2015); Ballyturk and Room 303 at the 2014 Galway International Arts Festival; Misterman, presented by Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival in Ireland, London and New York (2011–2012); and several plays for Druid Theatre Company, including Penelope, which has been presented in Ireland, America and London, from 2010–2011, The New Electric Ballroom, which played Ireland, Australia, Edinburgh, London, New York and LA from 2008–2009, and The Walworth Farce, which played Ireland, Edinburgh, London and New York, as well as an American and Australian tour, from 2007–2010.

He collaborated with David Bowie on the musical Lazarus (New York Theatre Workshop, 2015, and West End, 2016), and won a Tony Award in 2012 for writing the book for the musical Once, seen on Broadway, in the West End and on a US tour.

His other plays include Delirium (Theatre O/Barbican), which played Dublin and a British tour in 2008; Chatroom (National Theatre), which played at the National Theatre and on tour in Britain and Asia (2006–2007); and The Small Things (Paines Plough), which played London and Ireland (2005).

His early plays include Bedbound (Dublin Theatre Festival) and Disco Pigs (Corcadorca).

His film work includes Disco Pigs (Temple Films/Renaissance) and Hunger (Blast/FILM4), winner of the Camera d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Publication Details

Publisher: Nick Hern Books

Publication Date: 12 January 2015

Print Length: 96 pages (Ebook edition)

ISBN (Ebook): 9781780013206

Format: Ebook

Language: English

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