19 – 23 September

London Classic Theatre presents

FAITH HEALER

by Brian Friel 

Directed by Michael Cabot

Frank Hardy has a gift. A gift of healing.

A frayed banner hangs outside a desolate village hall. The sick, the suffering and the desperate arrive from out of the wind and the rain. They come in search of restoration, a cure. They are promised ‘a performance’, an opportunity to spend an intimate moment with a mercurial showman, who offers hope and salvation to the afflicted.

Through 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 theatricality and the spiritual.

Using four enthralling monologues to interweave the stories of these three intriguing characters, Brian Friel takes us on an extraordinary journey of shifting perspectives and uncertain memories.

Brian Friel (1929-2015) was an award-winning Irish playwright and author. He is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest dramatists, having written over thirty plays across six decades. His major works include Translations, Dancing at Lughnasa, Molly Sweeney and Philadelphia, Here I Come!

Photo credit: Sheila Burnett