The Crack in the Emerald: New Irish Plays

Four Irish plays from the late 1980s, selected and introduced by David Grant of the Dublin Theatre Festival. The volume contains:

The Lament for Arthur Cleary by Dermot Bolger

‘A love-poem to the City of Dublin, to its people, its streets, its housing estrates, but above all to the indomitable Dublin spirit that is as unique as it is indefinable’ Sunday Tribune

Low in the Dark by Marina Carr

A mother and daughter bicker over who has just given birth; a couple discuss building walls and baking buns in the oven; and a man gets pregnant. This witty absurdist play by one of Ireland’s leading playwrights dismantles the myths of motherhood and exposes the sexism of language and religious imagery.

Misogynist by Michael Harding

Written by ‘one of the most significant new Irish writers of his generation’ (Sunday Times) and strongly influenced by religious and folk ritual, this near-monologue, full of erotic imagery, offers the opportunity for a tour-de-force for a male actor.

The Hamster Wheel by Marie Jones

From the author of the West End hit Stones in his Pockets. When one partner in a marriage becomes unable to look after themselves and is completely dependent on the other, what happens to the relationship between them? This play covers an issue which is seldom talked about and creates ‘a powerful, wholly theatrical experience’ Irish Times