British National Theatre

And there has been a similar attitude towards the play s picturesqueness in British stagings of the play. The 1975 production by the British National Theatre in London, directed by Bill Bryden, was a major event, if only because the play had always been so closely identified with Ireland s national theatre, and it proved highly successful, being repeatedly revived in repertory over the next two seasons. It helped to establish the reputation of Stephen Rea, who played Christy, opposite the imposingly tall English actor Susan Fleetwood. More than one reviewer was aware of the relevance of the play s concern with the heroisation of violence at one of the worst periods of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and IRA bombing in Britain. Relevant but not relevant ... 

Billington, M. (2007) State of the Nation British Theatre since 1945 (London Methuen). 

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