157 free tickets to Major Barbara at the Abbey Theatre available tomorrow, Friday July 26 - Happy Birthday Mr Shaw!

Fancy a pair of free tickets to the Abbey Theatre, Dublin? Well, tomorrow (Friday, July 26, 2013) could be your lucky day!

Eoin from the Abbey Theatre was in touch to say...

We’re celebrating Bernard Shaw’s 157^th birthday and we want to give you a present!

We have 157 tickets to give away for the preview performances of our summer drama, Major Barbara. This bittersweet comedy is one of his most entertaining and intelligent plays.

Major Barbara is a woman on a mission to save the poor of society.  She is a devoted major in the Salvation Army until a reunion with her arms-manufacturing millionaire father Andrew Undershaft shakes the foundations of her beliefs.

Set in London in 1905, during the height of British military and industrial might, Major Barbara is a bittersweet comedy and the human story of a daughter and father seeking a path towards reconciliation.

 To redeem your gift, call our Box Office on (01) 87 87 222 between 10:30am – 4:30pm on Friday 26 July 2013, quoting ‘Happy Birthday Mr Shaw’. 

Terms and conditions:

• Maximum 2 tickets per person.
  
• Available for preview performances only.
  
• Subject to availability.
  

Full details on the play from the Abbey Theatre below:

Doctor Who Actor Paul McGann Headlines Stellar Cast of Major Barbara in Abbey Theatre’s stunning new production

The Abbey Theatre premieres its first ever production of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw on the Abbey Stage on Wednesday, 7 August.  This summer blockbuster sees the famed Doctor Who and Withnail and I star Paul McGann make his Abbey Theatre debut as millionaire arms-manufacturer Andrew Undershaft in this exciting new production. 

The Abbey Theatre is the home of the big play and big idea and Major Barbara continues the Abbey’s exploration of Bernard Shaw’s celebrated works.

Following the spectacular success of Pygmalion at the Abbey Theatre in 2011, award winning director Annabelle Comyn is back to direct a stellar cast of 15 actors. Emerging star Clare Dunne plays the title role of Major Barbara, having previously appeared in Juno and the Paycock on the Abbey Stage. 

Leading Irish actor Eleanor Methven plays Lady Britomart, the matriarch of the Undershaft family. Having collaborated with Annabelle Comyn on Pygmalion, Paul O’Mahony teams up once again as set designer on Major Barbara.  Joan O’Clery is costume designer and internationally renowned Chahine Yavroyan is lighting designer.

Speaking about this production, the Abbey Theatre’s Director Fiach Mac Conghail said:

“I find Bernard Shaw to be a fascinating writer, he is a playwright who is full of ideas and provocation.  In Major Barbara he challenges our ability to be pragmatic about the big issues in our society, enabling us to see that things aren’t always so simple when it comes to making moral decisions. I am really excited about producing Major Barbara for the first time at the Abbey Theatre.”

With Bernard Shaw’s inimitable wit and trenchant social criticism, Major Barbara examines what happens when moral and economic values collide.  Pitting idealism, so vividly embodied by Barbara, against pragmatism, as exemplified by her plutocratic industrialist father, he creates a theatrically exuberant story on the conflict between money and morality. 

Exploring timeless tensions between wealth and charity, government and religion, business and family, Major Barbara offers provocative discourse, vivid characters, intriguing plot twists and lots of entertainment and fun.

Major Barbara on the Abbey Stage Performances:  

Wednesday 31 July – Saturday 21 September
Previews:  Wednesday 31 July – Tuesday 6 August
Opening Night:  Wednesday 7 August
Time:  Monday – Saturday 7.30pm / Saturday matinee 2pm
 Sign language interpreted performance:  Thursday 12 September 7.30 pm
Captioned & audio described performance:  Saturday 14 September 2pm
Ticket prices: €13 - €45/Conc. €13 - €23 - buy online here.

CAST

• Ian Lloyd Anderson - Bill Walker
  
• Fiona Bell - Mrs. Baines
  
• Killian Burke - Stephen
  
• Gerard Byrne - Morrison
  
• Clare Dunne - Barbara
  
• Liz Fitzgibbon - Sarah
  
• Emmet Kirwan - Bronterre O’Brien Price
  
• Aonghus Óg McAnally - Charles Lomax
  
• Paul McGann - Undershaft
  
• Chris McHallem - Peter Shirley
  
• Eleanor Methven - Lady Britomart
  
• Caoimhe O’Malley - Jenny Hill
  
• Marty Rea - Adolphus Cusins
  
• Stephen Swift - Bilton
  
• Ali White - Rummy Mitchens

CREATIVES

• Annabelle Comyn - Director
  
• Paul O’Mahony - Set Design
  
• Joan O’Clery - Costume Design
  
• Chahine Yavroyan - Lighting Design
  
• Philip Stewart - Original Music and Sound Design
  
• Donal O’Farrell - Fight Director
  
• Sue Mythen - Period Movement Coach 
  
• Liz Roche - Movement Director