Brian Friel's Aristocrats Returns to the Abbey in Dublin

Aristocrats by Brian Friel returns once again to the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, playing from Wednesday, 18th June to Saturday, 2nd August.

The play premiered on the Abbey stage in 1979 and deals with a once influential family’s financial collapse during a politically charged time in Ireland.

The drama begins at Ballybeg Hall, on the eve of Claire’s wedding. Her father, Justice O’Donnell, is on his death bed and Claire has not been eager to leave the mansion, as she is marrying an elderly grocer for whom she has been forced to put aside her ambitions and personality.

Ballybeg Hall is falling apart, buckets have to be put out to catch the leaks when it rains and Judith, Claire’s sister, is a slave to keeping the place maintained.

The social order to which the family belong is as unstable as the mansion they live in and, while the family have survived wars and famine; can they make a new life for themselves in the changing times in which they live?

Directed by Patrick Mason, acclaimed director of Dancing at Lughnasa, the play is one of Brian Friel’s finest plays. From Translations to Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Friel’s plays have entertained generations of audiences at the Abbey Theatre.

Previews for Aristocrats take place on 18th to 23rd June, and performances will take place at 7.30pm Monday to Saturday on the main Abbey stage. Matinee performances are at 2pm on Saturdays. Tickets are priced between €13 and €45 and can be purchased online.