01-05-2025
Brendan Gleeson to make his return to the Irish stage
Brendan Gleeson is to make his return to the Irish stage for the first time in a decade in a new production of Conor McPherson's acclaimed play The Weir at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin this August.
The Dublin actor will also make his West End debut when the play transfers to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from 12 September to 6 December 2025.
The Weir is at 3Olympia Theatre from 8 August to 6 September, with tickets, priced from €25 on sale Saturday 3 May at 12pm.
This will be the first time McPherson, who has also written works such as The Brightening Air, Girl from the North Country and the movie I Went Down, will direct the play.
The synopsis of The Weir reads, "On a stormy night, four local men gather in an isolated pub in rural Ireland. Their usual banter and everyday lives are disrupted by the arrival of a woman called Valerie.
"The stories they weave to impress her are gripping, haunting and deeply unsettling. Little do they know that she has a profoundly personal story of her own, the sharing of which will leave them all shaken."
Brendan Gleeson began his acting career in the late seventies with the Passion Project in Dublin's Project Arts Centre and has gone on to star in numerous movies, including The Banshees of Inisherin, In Bruges, Gangs of New York, the Harry Potter movies, Paddington 2, Braveheart, and The General. His TV credits include Mr. Mercedes, A Higher Loyalty, and Into the Storm.
Speaking about appearing in The Weir, the actor said, "Conor McPherson's The Weir is one of the rarest plays around. The last time I appeared on stage was ten years ago, at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, where I started my career.
"I can't wait to be back there, and then to play in the West End for the first time, at the beautiful Pinter Theatre - and to work with Conor on his profoundly moving, inspiring and ultimately hopeful play."
McPherson said, "I can hardly believe it's thirty years since I wrote The Weir - and about thirty years since I first met the wonderful Brendan Gleeson.
"It's an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting. I'm hugely looking forward to directing my play for the very first time and sharing this production with audiences in Dublin and in London very soon."
Co-producer Kate Horton added, "Along with a multitude of theatregoers, I was spellbound by Conor McPherson's play The Weir when it first premiered at the Royal Court.
"I've since been granted three wishes; to have Conor agree to direct his own masterpiece for the first time, for the magnificent Brendan Gleeson to agree to lead the cast, and for the brilliant Anne Clarke to join me as co-producer.
"Together, they are titans of Irish and International theatre. The Weir is a beautiful play about human connection, the endurance of hope and the essential power of storytelling. It will be a joy to share this production with audiences."
The Weir had a critically acclaimed revival at The Abbey Theatre in 2022, with an ensemble cast featuring Downton Abbey star Brendan Coyle, who featured in the original London production of the show twenty-five years ago.
