Overview
Synopsis
Characteristically Chekhovian, Aristocrats is a brilliant portrait of a dysfunctional family and a decaying culture. The O’Donnells were once Irish Roman Catholic nobility but now, with the impending death of their patriarch, their long line of district judges will come to an end. The grown up children in the family have returned home to celebrate the marriage of the younger, stay-at-home sibling Claire. None of them are happy and the ghost of their mother, who seems to have committed suicide, haunts the family. The only way the siblings can escape their father's hold over them is through his death. However, their lives and dreams have already been ruined; is it too late for them to start over?
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Context
Aristocrats was first produced in March 1979 at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. It has since become a contemporary classic and is widely regarded as the most Chekhovian of Brian Friel’s plays. A production was staged at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City in 2013, directed by Charlotte Moore. Most recently, it was revived at the Donmar Warehouse in 2018, directed by Lindsey Turner.
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Act One
As the play opens, local man Willie is in the middle of setting up a baby monitor in the hallway of Ballybeg Hall. When it is turned on, we hear Judith attending to her father, who has dementia and is confined to his bed. Tom, an American academic sits in the study making notes on several books. Willie is thrilled to suddenly hear Father’s voice through the monitor, telling Tom that he was an imposing, masterful man before suffering a life-changing stroke. Casimir enters, carrying
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Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Aristocrats.
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher