View source for Someone Who'll Watch Over Me

{{Short description|1992 play by Frank McGuinness}}
{{Distinguish|Someone to Watch Over Me (disambiguation)}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=February 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
'''''Someone Who'll Watch over Me''''' is a play written by [[Irish people|Irish]] dramatist [[Frank McGuinness]]. The play focuses on the trials and tribulations of an Irishman, an [[English People|Englishman]] and an American (Edward, Michael, and Adam) who are kidnapped and held [[hostage]] by unseen Arabs in Lebanon. As the three men strive for survival they also strive to overcome their personal and [[nationalistic]] differences. Related to this is each individual's own attempt to maintain sanity under the watchful eye of both captors and supposed [[comrade]]s. At times the dramatic [[dialogue]] reaches a level of [[Samuel Beckett|Beckettian]] absurdity, as even the [[audience]] is unable to draw a distinction between the characters' [[insanity]] and humour. We are made witness and accomplice to a [[humour]] based on something apparently ghastly, the loss of rationality.

==Productions==
The play was first staged in July 1992,{{Inconsistent|date=May 2025|reason=next para says the first performance was in May}} at the [[Hampstead Theatre]], [[London]] and transferred to the [[West End theatre|West End]] [[Vaudeville Theatre]] for September to October 1992.

It was produced on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Booth Theatre]], opening on 29 May 1992 and closing on 13 June 1993, after 292 performances and 2 previews. Directed by Robin Lefevre, it starred [[Stephen Rea]] (Edward), [[James McDaniel]] (Adam), and [[Alec McCowen]] (Michael); [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]] took the Michael role late in the play's run. It received [[Tony Award]] nominations for Best Play and Best Actor in Play (Stephen Rea); Stephen Rea received the [[Theatre World Award]]. The show won the 1993 [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] Award for Best Foreign Play.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards Past Winners|url=https://www.dramacritics.org/dc_pastawards.html |access-date=31 January 2025 |website=New York Drama Critics' Circle|language=en}}</ref>

It was produced at the [[West End theatre|West End]] [[Ambassadors Theatre (London)|New Ambassador Theatre]] 16 April – 22 May 2005, where reviewer Peggy Nuttall wrote: "...the best thing I've seen in a long time."<ref>[http://www.onlinereviewlondon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=225:someone-wholl-watch-over-me&catid=171:someone-wholl-watch-over-me&Itemid=253] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015140827/http://www.onlinereviewlondon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=225:someone-wholl-watch-over-me&catid=171:someone-wholl-watch-over-me&Itemid=253 |date=15 October 2009 }} Online London Review, 2003 (should be 2005)</ref> Directed by Dominic
Dromgoole, the play starred [[Jonny Lee Miller]] (Adam), [[Aidan Gillen]] (Edward) and [[David Threlfall]] (Michael).

''Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' was presented in January 2009 at the [[Carolina Actors Studio Theatre]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]]. More recently it was produced by the "Square Béal Theatre Company", showing in Virginia and Shercock, Co. Cavan during September and October 2010 and by [[Theatre by the Lake]], Keswick, Cumbria from August to November 2011.<ref>[http://www.theatrebythelake.co.uk/whatson_detail.asp?ID=1057 Theatre by the Lake] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002200353/http://www.theatrebythelake.co.uk/whatson_detail.asp?ID=1057 |date=2 October 2011 }}</ref> It was also put on at the Courtyard Theatre in London in July 2010 starring Tom Weston-Jones, Joe Jameson & Alasdair Buchan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831274268323/Someone+Who%EF%BF%BDll+Watch+Over+Me,+Bristol+Old+Vic+Theatre+School.html%7B%7BDead+link%7Cdate=April+2019+%7Cbot=InternetArchiveBot+%7Cfix-attempted=yes+/|title=WhatsOnStage.com}}</ref>

In March 2013, on the 20th anniversary of the play's first staging in Ireland, Creaking Door Productions performed the play at The Viking Theatre and The New Theatre. Directed by Niall O'Higgins, the show starred [https://web.archive.org/web/20140814231456/http://www.frontlineactors.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ArtKeans.pdf Art Kearns] (Edward), [http://www.frontlineactors.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Danny-Kehoe-Frontline-CV-Latest1.pdf Danny Kehoe]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (Michael) and [https://web.archive.org/web/20110202003244/http://www.lbmactors.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=118 Conor Delaney] (Adam). The show had a very successful run receiving 5 star reviews. ([http://entertainment.ie/theatre/feature/Someone-Wholl-Watch-Over-Me-The-New-Theatre/211/4084.htm Someone-Who'll-Watch-Over-Me Review])

In May/June 2017 it was produced by the Irish Theatre Players in Perth, Western Australia. Directed by Andrew Baker, the show starred Paul Davey (Edward), Manuao TeAotonga (Adam) & Grant Malcolm (Michael). It was extremely well received, with many stating it was the best show the Irish Theatre Players had produced in decades. http://www.ita.org.au/2017/06/someone-wholl-watch-over-me/

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=4696 IBDB listing]
*[http://www.thisistheatre.com/londonshows/someonewhollwatchoverme.html information on 2005 production]
*[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB113AF937A15752C1A964958260 ''New York Times'' review, 24 November 1992]
*[http://www.curtainup.com/someonetwhollwatchoverme.html Curtain Up review, London, 21 April 2005]

{{Frank McGuinness}}

[[Category:Plays by Frank McGuinness]]
[[Category:1992 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]