[photo credit: Boston Court Pasadena]
Boston Court Pasadena will show a filmed version of the play three times this weekend as part of National Theatre Live, the program that broadcasts London stage productions to cinema screens worldwide. The screenings run Friday, July 10 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, July 11 at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the venue at 70 North Mentor Avenue in Pasadena.
Synge’s three-act play premiered in 1907. It follows Christy Mahon, a young stranger who walks into a County Mayo pub claiming he has killed his father. Rather than being run out of town, he is embraced as a local hero and begins winning hearts, until a second man arrives and complicates the story.
The production was staged at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre in London from December 2025 through February 2026, and filmed there for cinema audiences. It is directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, artistic director of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Coughlan plays Pegeen Mike, Éanna Hardwicke plays Christy Mahon, and Siobhán McSweeney, Coughlan’s “Derry Girls” co-star, plays the Widow Quin.
The play’s history is part of its reputation. When it first opened at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in January 1907, nationalist audiences objected to its portrayal of rural Irish life, and disturbances spread through the city. London reviewers of the current staging have praised its design and central performances while noting unevenness in its pacing.
The National Theatre advises that the production contains graphic depictions of violence and injury, references to murder and violence, sexual references, complex family relationships, and alcoholism.
The screenings are one of two National Theatre Live titles at Boston Court that weekend. A filmed staging of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” featuring Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner, runs July 9 through 12.
Boston Court Pasadena is at 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106. The theater lists general admission for its National Theatre Live screenings at $20, with discounts available to members, according to its website. It sells tickets directly and states that it does not use third-party resale platforms. More information is available at BostonCourtPasadena.org, by email at boxoffice@bostoncourtpasadena.org, or from the box office at 626-683-6801.
Synge’s villagers learn how quickly a good story can turn a stranger into a hero, and how fast the crowd turns when the story falls apart. This weekend, the telling reaches a screen in Pasadena.
The Playboy of the Western World (NT Live) — Boston Court Pasadena. Synge’s incendiary Irish classic starring Nicola Coughlan and Éanna Hardwicke, from Dublin’s Abbey Theatre via National Theatre Live. July 10 (7pm), July 11 (2pm), July 12 (7pm). ~$20–45. https://bostoncourtpasadena.org/events/nt-live-playboy
