London Classic Theatre is to tour Brian Friel’s Faith Healer beginning at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Consisting of four monologues delivered by three characters, Faith Healer follows the story of Frank, Grace and Teddy, each of whom takes the audience on a journey of shifting perspectives and conflicting memories as they individually reflect on lives which are inextricably intertwined.
The cast comprises Jonathan Ashley as Teddy, Paul Carroll as Frank and Gina Costigan as Grace.
The play’s narrative centres around Frank Hardy, a man with a gift of healing who travels far and wide to cure those in society finding themselves in need of a helping hand to overcome their emotional, physical or spiritual problems.
A frayed banner hanging outside a desolate village hall encourages the sick, the suffering and the desperate to take shelter from the wind and rain in search of restoration. They are promised a “performance”, an opportunity to spend an intimate moment with a mercurial showman who offers hope and salvation to the afflicted.
London Classic Theatre artistic director Michael Cabot said, “I’ve wanted to direct Faith Healer for many years. It’s such a wonderful, complex piece of writing, with beautifully realised characters and Brian Friel’s remarkable use of language.
“It draws you in, surprises, intrigues and ultimately takes your breath away. I’m working on the show with my long-term collaborator, set and costume designer Bek Palmer, and I’m very excited about her vision for the play.
“We’re taking the play on the road for 11 weeks to 20 venues around the UK and Ireland, opening the tour at one of our favourite venues, the wonderful New Vic Theatre. We’ve assembled a cast of three extraordinary actors with whom I’m delighted to be working. Faith Healer is one of the great plays of the 20th century, arguably Friel’s masterpiece, and I can’t wait for us to bring it to life.”
Faith Healer is at the New Vic from Tuesday 5 until Saturday 9 September. It then tours to Mold, Malvern, Chipping Norton, Poole, Bury St Edmunds, Sligo, Derry, Newtownabbey, Virginia, Middlesbrough, Alnwick, Musselburgh, Wolverhampton, Stamford, Lichfield, Cambridge, Eastbourne, Winchester and Worthing until Friday 17 November.