Northern Star
by Stewart Parker
by Stewart Parker
Northern Star follows Henry Joy McCracken, a charming political rebel facing execution, as he reflects on his life and the ghosts of Irish history in a journey through idealism, disillusionment, and missed opportunities.
About The Play
About The Play
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**** FOUR STARS, TIME OUT
Part of RediscoveriesUK – A three month season of rediscovered plays by writers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Never before performed in Great Britain, renowned Ulster playwright Stewart Parker’s Northern Star opens at the Finborough Theatre for a limited run of six Sunday and Monday performances as part of RediscoveriesUK, a three month season of rediscovered plays by writers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
After the disaster of the 1798 rebellion, Henry Joy McCracken, one of Irish history’s most charming political rebels, sits awake in a half burnt-out cottage in Ulster. His child and lover sleep nearby with plans of an escape to America. Outside a Phantom Bride guards the gate of the ramshackle safe house. Henry awaits his imminent execution, but he needs to perfect his final speech to the citizens of Belfast…
The night brings with it ghosts of friends and foes from Ireland’s past – both North and South – to recall the seven ages of his life, from youthful idealism to disillusion and despair. Each age is presented in the style of a famous Irish writer, from Boucicault and Wilde, to Behan and Beckett, in a comic, terrifying and moving journey through the missed opportunities of Irish history.