National Theatre Live: The Playboy of the Western World

The Best-Looking Murderer in the Parish

A stranger saunters into a rural Irish pub claiming he's killed his father, and suddenly he's the most desirable man in town. Synge's darkly comic masterpiece explores how reputation and fantasy can seduce us more than truth ever could.

Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) leads a stellar cast alongside Éanna Hardwicke and Siobhán McSweeney in this National Theatre production, filmed live and now screening at Tetbury Goods Shed.

What begins as a confession becomes an increasingly tangled web of desire and deception — the unnamed killer charms everyone around him until a second arrival threatens to expose the chaos he's created. Director Caitríona McLaughlin captures Synge's gift for comic timing and dark observation, building from village curiosity to something far more unsettling.

The dialogue crackles with wit and menace in equal measure, full of the kind of secrets small communities excel at keeping.

Three hours including interval. Book in advance at £15 or pay £17.50 on the door.

Thursday 4th June 2026 · Tetbury Goods Shed Arts Centre, Gloucestershire · 7:00pm