The Seafarer

The Seafarer

2008 Tony Nominee - Best Play!

By Conor McPherson
Directed by Carmel O’Reilly

Nov. 14 - Dec. 13, 2008

Show Description:

Both hilarious and chilling, The Seafarer weaves a mythic tale of the sea, Ireland, and redemption. On Christmas Eve in North Dublin, Sharky Harkin finds himself reluctantly hosting old friends at the dingy house he shares with his brother who has recently gone blind. A lot of booze and card-playing carry the men into Christmas Day when Sharky must face the grim promise he made decades ago to one of these old friends.

Run time: 2:30 (includes one 15-minute intermission)

Here's what the Boston press has to say:

“THE PERFECT HOLIDAY ENTERTAINMENT!”
“The Seafarer is something special…I strongly recommend you give the devil – and all these other great characters – their due.”
– Ed Siegel, WBUR (listen here)

“A STELLAR CAST!”
“The devil is in the cards for Christmas… [this] dark yet sneakily redemptive tale strikes exactly the right note of mournful cheer.”
– Louise Kennedy, The Boston Globe (read here)

“COMPELLING & FUNNY!”
“Looking for something different this holiday season? The Seafarer is that ticket!”
– Robert Nesti, EdgeBoston (read here)

“AN EARLY HOLIDAY GIFT!”
“SpeakEasy brings Conor Mc Pherson’s brilliantly philosophical yet wonderfully comical play to pulsing life!”
– Iris Fanger, The Quincy Patriot Ledger (read here)

“A STRIKING AND WORTHY ALTERNATIVE TO HOLIDAY TRADITION!”
“I still get chills just thinking about it.”   
– Jared Bowen, WGBH, Greater Boston

Listen to an interview with Seafarer Director Carmel O’Reilly and actor Billy Meleady

Cast of Characters

Ivan Larry Coen*
Richard Bob Colonna*
Nicky Ciaran Crawford*
Sharky Billy Meleady
Lockhart Derry Woodhouse*

Production Staff

Director Carmel O'Reilly
Production Manager Paul Melone
Production Stage Manager Maureen Lane
Costume Design Rafael Jaen
Lighting Design John Malinowski
Set Design Michael Griggs
Sound Design Ben Emerson

*Member of Actors' Equity association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

SpeakEasy Press Contact:

Jim Torres
Director of Marketing,
Press and Public Relations

Phone: 617-482-3279
Cell: 617-529-1670
Fax: 617-482-3280

Email: use our Contact Us form

Basic Show Information

The Seafarer
By Conor McPherson
Directed by Carmel O’Reilly
Nov. 14 - Dec. 13, 2008

PDF Downloads

Hi-Resolution Images

Below are photos from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running November 14 through December 13 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Please be sure to include the following attribution when using any of these photos: "Photo: Mike Lovett."

Group Card Game - The stakes are high for a group of hard-drinking Irishmen when a mysterious stranger joins them for a game of cards on Christmas Eve in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. From left: Ciaran Crawford, Derry Woodhouse, Billy Meleady, Larry Coen, and Bob Colonna. Photo: Mike Lovett. Ivan (Larry Coen, left) and Sharky (Billy Meleady, right) swap stories after a night of hard-drinking in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett.
A mysterious stranger (Derry Woodhouse, rear) pays a visit to Sharky Harkin (Billy Meleady, foreground) on Christmas Eve in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett. A mysterious stranger (Derry Woodhouse) visits a group of hard-drinking Irishmen on Christmas Eve in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett.
Billy Meleady plays a down-on-his-luck Dubliner who finds himself playing in a high-stakes poker game on Christmas Eve in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett. Sharky (Billy Meleady, left) helps his blind brother Richard (Bob Colonna, right) with breakfast in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett.
Larry Coen plays hard-drinking neighbor Ivan Curry in the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett. Bob Colonna as blind brother Richard Harkin in the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett.
Ciaran Crawford as Nicky Giblin in the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett. A mysterious stranger (Derry Woodhouse) arrives at a North Dublin home on Christmas Eve in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE SEAFARER, running now thru December 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600. Photo: Mike Lovett.