Tom Murphy was an Irish playwright. He first started writing in the late 1950s after his best friend suggested they write a play together. That play, On the Outside, was published in 1959. Murphy’s second play, A Whistle in the Dark, was first produced in 1961 and became massively popular on the West End. He went on to write more than 20 plays, including The Gigli Concert, which is considered by many to be his masterpiece. In 1975, Murphy was sidelined from playwriting after his play The Sanctuary Lamp received backlash because of anti-Catholic themes. The play was revived in 2001 after a substantial re-write.
Murphy is considered one of Ireland’s greatest playwrights. His plays often tap into Irish culture and were frequently performed at the Abbey Theatre, one of Ireland’s major theatres. In addition to writing, Murphy directed productions of his plays The Sanctuary Lamp and The Alice Trilogy. Murphy’s wife Jane Brennan, who survived him after his death, is an actress.
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