Beginning its tour of the UK and Ireland at the New Vic, London Classic Theatre present Brian Friel’s intriguing story of uncertain memory, Faith Healer, from Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 September 2023.
Consisting of four monologues delivered by three characters, Faith Healer follows the story of Frank, Grace and Teddy, each of whom take the audience on an extraordinary journey of shifting perspectives and conflicting memories as they individually reflect on lives which are inextricably intertwined.
The play’s narrative centres around Frank Hardy, a man with a gift of healing, who travels far and wide to cure those in society finding themselves in need of a helping hand to overcome their emotional, physical or spiritual problems.
A frayed banner hanging outside a desolate village hall encourages the sick, the suffering and the desperate to take shelter from the wind and rain in search of restoration. They are promised ‘a performance’, an opportunity to spend an intimate moment with a mercurial showman, who offers hope and salvation to the afflicted.
Set during the 1950s and 1960s, Hardy and his wife, Grace, travel to remote corners of Scotland and Wales, before eventually returning to Frank’s native Ireland. Accompanied by his manager Teddy, they move from village to village, bringing with them an unpredictable mix of the theatrical and the spiritual.
Written by one of Ireland’s foremost playwrights, Faith Healer explores themes of truth, contradiction and story-telling in its examination of whether personal experience and individual interpretation rather than a universally accepted version of the truth are the key to ensuring events and experiences live long in the memory and have the most profound effect.
London Classic Theatre Artistic Director Michael Cabot said: “I’ve wanted to direct Faith Healer for many years. It’s such a wonderful, complex piece of writing, with beautifully realised characters and Brian Friel’s remarkable use of language. It draws you in, surprises, intrigues and, ultimately, takes your breath away. I’m working on the show with my long-term collaborator, set and costume designer Bek Palmer, and I’m very excited about her vision for the play. We’re taking the play on the road for eleven weeks, to 20 venues around the UK and Ireland, opening the tour at one of our favourite venues, and biggest supporters, the wonderful New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme. We have assembled a cast of three extraordinary actors, with whom I’m delighted to be working. Faith Healer is one of the great plays of the twentieth century, arguably Friel’s masterpiece and I can’t wait for us to bring it to life in 2023.”
Faith Healer takes to the stage at the New Vic from Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 September 2023. Tickets are on sale now, priced from £10 to £30.50. For more details and to book, call the Box Office on 01782 717 962 or visit newvictheatre.org.uk.