The Cripple of Inishmaan @ The Cort Theater

Off the west coast of Ireland lies the tiny island of Inishmaan - an island where the most exciting news is that of lost cats and general petty gossip. That is until its heard from the mainland that Hollywood has come to film their lovely little homeland as well as take one lucky individual back to America to be the star of that fine film - sending the tiny little village into a tizzy, including Billy Claven, a young crippled man whose dreams of getting off the island are about to take him on an adventure much bigger than Tinsel Town.

Daniel Radcliffe portrays the character of Billy, a young crippled man this ridiculed by his peers and coddled by his two adoptive aunts.. Radcliffe masters not only the physicality of Billy Claven, but the emotional struggle of a man with the fiery passion wanting to make his way in the world, caged within his own limitations and those that others have locked him behind as well. Radcliffe approaches this role with a sensitivity that encompasses the heart of Billy’s pain as well as his drive for the experiences of life.


Other notable performances are that of Ingrid Craigie and Gillian Hanna, who have a delightful rapport playing the two worrisome aunties that have a lovely balance of humor and benevolence; Sarah Greene whose performance of Helen McCormick, a tyrannical spitfire, that the audience cannot help but love and hate equally.

Martin McDonagh once again successfully creates a dark comedy that captures dry wit that dances a lovely line of being grimly satiric and wistfully poignant. With numerous awards and nominations for his other works - including The Laurence Olivier and The Drama Desk Award - McDonagh has created another masterpiece for modern theatre, but make it a must see this season on Broadway.

The Cripple of Inishmaan opened at the Cort Theater on Sunday April 20th, 2014 and runs a strictly limited engagement through Friday June 20th, 2014.

Review By: Sarah Hogan-DePaul
Photos By: Johan Persson