The Ferryman - Review

The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth

ADC Theatre, 28th April - 2nd May, 2026

Jez Butterworth's play The Ferryman, directed by Sam Mendes, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in April 2017, before transferring to the West End and then Broadway. It went on to win the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play, and the Critics' Circle, Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards for Best New Play. It also won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Play.

County Armagh, Northern Ireland, 1981. The Carney farmhouse is a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. The storyline was inspired by a true story about “The Disappeared”, sixteen men and women who had been killed by the IRA and their bodies had never been found. One of these was Caitlin’s husband, Seamus Carney, whose body had suddenly been found.

This play is powerful and challenging, the script dense and involved, embracing the tensions and emotions within an extraordinary large family. It is a challenge for Directors Chris Avery and Andrew Shepherd having, as it does, a mixture of adult and child actors, with complex characters, most using colourful language and all endeavouring to perfect the Northern Irish accent. Having a running time of 3 hours (excluding interval) the audience are sitting for far too long. Personally I felt there were opportunities to cut the script down, especially during some of the big monologues, though maybe copyright precludes that.

Martin Avery’s set design and Ali Hall’s props (although I wan't too sure about the stuffed rabbit and goose!) gave us a very believable Irish farmhouse setting. Technically the first night was not without its blips but I am sure these will be ironed out as the run continues. Costumes (Tracy James) and hair and make-up (Hannah Curtis) were suitable to period and character. In fact, overall, it looked good.

With the exception of the Englishman Tom Kettle the whole cast should be commended on their Northern Ireland accents. From an acting and storytelling point of view, this production was first rate. Everyone seemed very natural fitting in well with their place in the family. I liked the way even the youngest of the cast seemed to understand about ‘the troubles’. The final scene is a hard one to get right - and to watch if I’m honest, but it was well done.

Quinn Carney, the head of the Carney farm was brilliantly played by Scott Brindle making his presence felt and in control of the family. He was a larger than life character whose strength was witnessed throughout. I really believed the connection between Quinn and Caitlin. A super performance.

Helen Holgate was wonderful as Caitlin Carney. Constantly on the move busy and energetic providing food for the men busy with harvesting and looking after the aunts. It was a pleasure to watch the way in which Helen used her physicality to convey emotion – a fantastic performance.

Sarah Jarvis as Quinn’s wife Mary, a delicate, distant woman treated as an invalid brought both emotion and sensitivity to the role. Though an on and off character she certainly made her mark and we felt the tension she brought when talking about/to the character of Caitlin. a fine performance. The character of Aunt Pat is a vital role in this play a role which Judy Curry played with great conviction. Aunt Maggie Faraway is a hard role to play, calling as it does for her often being detached from the events surrounding her before ‘coming back’, but Mary Wade was very believable. Peter Simmons as Uncle Patrick skilfully kept the family entertained with his humorous and obviously oft repeated tales. Simon Thomson portrayed the character of Father Horrigan well. I really got the awkwardness of the character who has a conflicting choice to make.

Gary Campbell played Jimmy Muldoon with quiet menace. An actor with good stage presence and you just knew this wasn’t a man you would want to cross. A super performance. Muldoon was well supported by James Hedges and Lewis Haynes as Frank Magennis and Lawrence Malone respectively. Tom Kettle – the only Englishman in the script was believably played by Jon Bolderson an odd-ball character accepted and to an extent cared for by the Carney family.

There are far too many other (youth) actors for me to mention by name. Each playing family roles in a robust and noisy manner they skilfully added great atmosphere. If I may however mention Billy Russell, who played Shane Corcoran, who impressed with storytelling, accent and stage presence. One to watch!

Although a long evening the audience was involved and concentrated. Directors Chris Avery and Andrew Shepherd gave us an excellent interpretation of this thought provoking and challenging script delivered by talented actors. Many congratulations to all involved in this production.

Julie Petrucci

© Combinations.